This job is a soap opera if you let it become one.
My truck is parked between the 2 most polar opposite drivers you could ever encounter. The gentleman to my right, and he is a gentleman, is a man of few words, involved in his church, a 'great' guy to b.s. with in the morning and he honestly does not carry any baggage with him as it pertains to this job. Yes, he is tired as I am at the end of the week but it isn't a mental grind for him other than the general day to day that is in every career. He is quick with a joke (Billy Joel is on the radio right now...) and is also quick to help the new guys if they ask. He is never, never, ever, one to stand on a soap box and bitch and moan about his job. He knows what he signed up for. (He has about 25 years in or so and I have known him for about 15 of those)
The guy on my left, here we go. He has a horrible attitude, although he makes you laugh when he complains, he is still clearly frustrated as if he had no idea when he worked 7 years part time what the driving gig was all about. He has been fired/working terminations on 2 different occasions, complaints up the wazoo and every week is a new chapter in the aforementioned soap opera.
You are so right that IF you let this job become a soap opera it will.
Another question is how many of us do either A) engage in the drama or B) keep your head down and just try to coast out the door every day.
I choose B.
Isn't that the truth?
I load for a driver that comes in every morning and acts startled and appalled that his truck is full. Um yeah that's what we do here, fill the truck in the morning, you empty it, then fill it, then bring it back...
Another driver has just as heavy of a route and is happy as a lark. when I apologise for the load (nothing I can do, bulk stops fill the center from bulkhead to rear door) He just grins and say "we ain't afraid of the big bad wolf"
I can only imagine which one enjoys his day more.