Close Calls on the Road: What Stress and Fatigue Can Do

Trucking Tales — Life Behind the Wheel

Every long-haul driver has a few stories that make their heart race just thinking about them. Moments when luck, instinct, and maybe a little grace kept something small from turning into something serious. This is one of mine — and it taught me a hard but important lesson about what stress and fatigue can do behind the wheel.

There are times on the road when I come close to getting in an accident — not because of bad weather or other drivers, but because I’m tired, stressed, or really need to use the bathroom. Those moments mess with my judgment more than I’d like to admit.

One of those close calls happened in Alabama. I was driving along a highway that ended up completely jammed. Later, I found out why — a truck hauling a wide house on a flatbed had tried to squeeze through a construction zone and got stuck on the bridge barriers. They had to shut down the freeway completely.

I sat there for about an hour, watching my time tick down. I’d started with three hours left on my clock and thought, “I can make it — traffic can’t last that long.” But after sitting still for what felt like forever, frustration got the better of me. I decided to take the next exit and find another way.

That’s when things got dicey.

At the intersection, I realized too late that there were two left-turn lanes, and I was in the wrong one. Because I was in my semi, I needed to be in the outer (rightmost) turn lane for enough room to swing wide. Cars were stacked up beside me, so I couldn’t move over.

When the light turned green, another semi — an aggressive driver — pulled into the proper lane next to me. We both started turning, but he went fast. I looked in my mirrors and saw my trailer getting dangerously close to a car that had stopped too far forward. For a split second, I thought I was going to roll right over his hood.

I slammed on my brakes. The car driver saw what was happening and moved just in time. My fellow trucker next to me braked hard, too, probably thinking I was cutting him off. Somehow, we all came out of it without a scratch — but it easily could’ve gone the other way.

That day reminded me how quickly stress and fatigue can cloud your judgment. I wasn’t thinking clearly — just frustrated, tired, and in a hurry to get moving again.

Lesson learned:

If you’re driving tired, stressed, or with a full bladder — stop. Pull over. Take a few minutes to calm down and get your head straight. Accidents don’t usually happen because we don’t know what to do — they happen because, in the moment, we’re too distracted to do it.

Thanks for reading.

If you’ve ever had a close call behind the wheel — trucking or otherwise — I’d love to hear about it. Drop a comment below or share how you keep your cool when the road (and life) gets stressful.

Stay safe out there, friends.

– Chad