As a truck driver, you spend countless hours on the road by yourself. This can be challenging for anyone but especially those with families. Luckily, modern technology makes staying in contact with loved ones easy. Below are some tips and tricks to keep your family and friends close even when you are miles away.
Schedule Communication
Having a set time where you call or video chat with your loved ones is the easiest way to stay in contact. Making it a regular occurrence can help reduce the feelings of loneliness and offer support. Make sure to stick to the scheduled time, such as after dinner and before bed for your children. You could even set it up so you are reading them a story before bed every night, even when you are on the road.
Video is King
While being with someone in person is always best, video chats are the next best thing. Apps like Google Teams, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram and FaceTime all offer video chatting services for free. All you need is a data or wifi connection. You can also use video to share your adventures with your friends or family back home. Take videos of the different areas you visit, and send them on. This can make it feel like your family is right there with you.
Calling
While video can make it feel like you aren’t so far away, some areas don’t have adequate service to make the connection. Old school phone calls are the next best thing. Simply call up your loved ones and have a good chat. This gives you some much needed socialization, while allowing you to catch up on how their day is as well.
Some of us aren’t big fans of talking on the phone, which is okay. This is where email comes in, as you can summarize your whole day, and include photo updates at the same time. Email is also a great option when timing will not work for calling, like if you will be going through a dead zone when you would typically call. Email also allows you to update multiple people at once, which could be a great time saver.
Send Postcards
Snail mail is old school, but everyone loves to receive mail, especially fun little updates. If you have children, sending postcards from where you are is fun for everyone, even if they arrive home after you do. Postcards can also be something fun for your children to collect, as they are easy to store in photo albums. Plus, they are very affordable to send, and you can just keep a pack of stamps in your truck.
Use Social Media
Posting pictures of your travels to Facebook or Instagram allows your friends and family to stay involved in your life easily. You can also scroll, like and comment on their feeds as well. Social media is a great tool to stay in contact with friends and distant family.
Play Games
Developments in technology are helping to bring people closer together through gamification. Many family favorites, such as Monolopy, Scrabble, Wheel of Fortune and Uno all have online versions available. This allows you to spend time playing board games with your family even when you are half way across the country. Modern technology allows you to keep family traditions, even when you are working on the road.
While life on the road can be exciting, it does get lonely. Use the tips above to embrace technology and stay connected with your loved ones every day. Keep your safety in mind and stick to an agreed-upon schedule to stay close to your family, no matter where you are.
Working For Classic Transport
Classic Transport is proud to offer drivers a great work-life balance, with the ability to choose their own schedules. This allows you to be present for all those important moments, while still having a career you love. Classic Transport has routes across North America, in the Towaway, Driveaway, and Multi-Haul divisions. Learn more about the requirements to drive for Classic Transport today, and get your driving career on the road.