Dispatch Don’t Care: Why So Many Truckers Are Burned Out and Bounced Around

by TRUCKERS VA
(UNITED STATES)

🚛 Introduction:

You ever feel like your dispatcher is playing Tetris with your life?
Load after load, city after city — all gas, no brakes — and not once do they ask if you’ve eaten, slept, or even had a minute to breathe.

Welcome to the world of modern trucking, where drivers are treated like robots until they break down — and the burnout is realer than ever.

So let’s dig in:

Why it feels like dispatch don’t care

What’s really going on behind the scenes

And how drivers can protect their time, sanity, and health before this job chews them up and spits them out

🧯 The Burnout Is Real — and Rising
Trucking used to have rhythm. Now? It’s chaos on wheels.

No consistency in routes

No time to reset between loads

Getting hit with “can you just” requests at the worst times

You’re exhausted, but dispatch still wants that load delivered early.
You’re out of hours, but they’ll “see what they can do.”
You’ve got family issues, and they hit you with “10-4, but I really need you on this one.”

It's not just a lack of empathy — it's a lack of margin. Drivers are running ragged, and the system acts surprised when they snap.

🕹️ What Dispatch is Dealing With (It Ain’t Just You)
To be fair… dispatchers catch heat from everyone — shippers, brokers, drivers, managers.
They’re under pressure to keep the wheels moving 24/7 with fewer trucks, fewer drivers, and tighter windows.

Many are juggling:

30+ drivers at once

Constant re-routing

Angry customers

Metrics breathing down their neck

That doesn’t make the stress okay — but it helps explain why they sound short, distracted, or robotic.

Still... if you're just a number to them? You're gonna feel it.

💣 Signs You’re on the Edge of Burnout
You're dreading every dispatch call

You're falling asleep during breaks instead of recovering

You're snapping at loved ones (or your dog)

You fantasize about just dropping the keys and disappearing

You feel like no matter what you do, it’s never enough

That’s not just “tired.”
That’s burnout — and if you don’t catch it early, it’ll catch up to you hard.

💡 What Drivers Can Do to Push Back (Without Getting Fired)
1. Set Boundaries
Tell dispatch what you can and can’t do. You’re a human — not a load robot.

2. Document Everything
If you’re being pushed to run unsafe, keep records. CYA before they try to blame you.

3. Ask for a Different Dispatcher
If communication’s dead and stress is sky-high? You can request someone else. You’d be surprised how often that works.

4. Use Off-Duty Time Like Gold
Don’t waste it arguing with dispatch. Sleep. Move your body. Call your people. Protect your recharge time.

5. Have a Transition Plan
If this job is wearing you out, have an exit plan. Don’t wait until your body forces the issue.

😤 Why the System Needs to Change
You want drivers to stay?

Respect their time.

Pay them better.

Stop treating them like machines.

Burnout is costing the industry more than just turnover — it’s costing lives, marriages, health, and long-term sustainability.

But change won’t happen from the top down.
It starts with drivers knowing their worth and demanding better.

🧠 Bottom Line
The load matters.
The delivery matters.
But the driver matters more.

If dispatch forgets that — remind them.
And if they won’t listen? There are better options than breaking your back for someone who sees you as a truck number and not a person.

📣 Call to Action:
👉 Want to learn how to build income outside the cab so you don’t have to stay stuck under dispatch’s thumb forever?
Head to RetireFromTrucking.com

👉 Want to talk to other drivers who’ve been there, burned out, and bounced back?
Visit LifeAsATrucker.com — real talk, no dispatch filter.

Because trucking should fuel your future — not wear it down one load at a time.