sleeping

butterfly610 · Dec 23, 2007

RE: I'm tired.

Well...it seems pretty much everyone faces this same issue as a team. We are fortunate enough to drive for an owner who provides a very nice truck, and the ride is very smooth. It's more of an issue with staying asleep when the truck has to stop and go in traffic, or the night person sleeping while its daylight (our curtains won't close in the back), etc...
Being that the loads you get are so unpredictable it's hard to get on a set schedule really. We do have specific driving schedules, like the 3-3 or something like that. It's just hard staying on the sleeping schedule when you're off at home and sitting for a couple days during the slow times.
Thank-you all for your suggestions.
I would be interested in getting a comfortable mattress top or something.

davekc · Dec 23, 2007

RE: I'm tired.

We drove a Western Star that rode terrible and our sleep suffered because of it. At our request, the fleet owner had an aditional set of air bags installed under the sleeper, which improved the ride. Our sleep improved too
========================================
Now I see why there was so many owners in a short period of time.

Davekc
owner
23 years
PantherII
EO moderator

Doggie Daddy · Dec 23, 2007

RE: I'm tired.

ThibodeauxBayou and juliewray,what is the brand of sleeper that you are in that only uses rubber blocks to cushion the sleeper?

Even that AB company uses air ride and I can't imagine any company doing things more on the cheap than them.

And for those that have the air ride sleeper system and are still experiencing a rough ride,it just means that there is either too much or too little air in the air bags.And that is a problem that is easily rectified.DD.

davekc · Dec 23, 2007

RE: I'm tired.

The old F450 Fords we used at Roberts had those rubber blocks. In all fairness, they really didn't ride that bad. Nice small sleepers with essentially just enough room for a bed. We had the luxury 42" models.
The Bentz that Dan Schultz used to sell didn't have air-ride either until 98. We bought one of the first ones. It was a definite improvement over its predecessor.

Davekc
owner
23 years
PantherII
EO moderator

greg334 · Dec 23, 2007

RE: I'm tired.

DD
I too have rubber mounts and I don't notice the difference between that and the van.

Doggie Daddy · Dec 23, 2007

RE: I'm tired.

What brand sleeper is it Greg? Also,aren't you a solo driver? DD.

greg334 · Dec 23, 2007

RE: I'm tired.

Of course I am a solo driver, my wife will not step foot in my truck and she will not let me get a girlfriend drive for us (just kidding).

I have a bentz sleeper and tell you the truth, I heard all these great things about it and when I ripped it apart to remodel it, I was really disappointed with the quality of workmanship. I know it is not the Taj, but is could have been built better.

I was having the inverter shut down every other day with a fault light and I just finished ripping out the last of the electrical wiring on the left side of the sleeper this past week to find another AC line ripped up because they did not debur the hole they made and didn't use a grommet. I am suprized I didn't have a fire with the melted plastic. I won't go into the leaks I had to deal with - opps there I go again on my rant.

Well there are 4 mounts that are on the sleeper to the frame. Not really a stiff mount that I can see, it could be worst.

TeamCaffee · Dec 24, 2007

RE: I'm tired.

arrbsthw

That is where we are not DOT legal when we get with in a mile or so of the customer even with our GPS the other will get up and help find the address. If we are loading or unloading in the middle of the night we both help. That is where the hour we change drivers will very.

When we are on any load less then 1000 miles the time we change drivers can very a few hours so the other can get more sleep and the one with more rest will take the longer shift. Anything over 1000 miles we go can go back to our regular time to change drivers. When out on the west coast and we stay out there very long driving up and down the coast our bodies adjust to that time zone. While out there we switch drivers using west coast time and then switch back to eastern time when we take a load going east.

arrbsthw · Dec 24, 2007

RE: I'm tired.

We probably don't do like everyone else out here. If we get a load in daylight hours, I start off driving. I get us to the shipper(with my
husbands help) and then do the 1st part of the driving. I will then
drive the rest of my hrs left. by then its' usually around 9-11 pm.
My husband drives thru the night.

I have offered to drive at night but
I don't see very well in the dark. Glare hurts my eyes and I have/get Halos. He gets us to the receiver and unloads truck ( have finally gotten him to where he can handle the delivery paperwork) He will take us to truck stop or Wallyworld somewhere and we will both go to sleep.

If I have slept really good and feel like I can't sleep anymore, I get
up make my coffee and get the laptop..head for the front seat.
He closes up the curtains and goes to sleep.. while we wait for
another load. At the time we get one, he helps me get to pu again
and I drive, he goes back to sleep.

We are a true team..one can't do without the other. I don't do
directions and he doesn't do paperwork. He tends to get the "deer in the headlight look" when I ask him to do it. And yes he takes good
care of me. For without me out here with him , he would be home doing local work.

I did get us a memory foam topper (actually have 2 of them on our mattress) and some fluffy pillows with a new comforter. Actually
makes the bed sleep better at times. I do intend to buy us a REAL
Memory foam mattress and maybe that will improve our sleeping.

I had a very hard time adjusting to this life and I am still adjusting
every day. Sometimes I couldn't sleep for anything. I could lay there for hrs trying to sleep.. and I confess I did take some Tylenol PM a couple times to go to sleep. My brain tends to think of everything in the world when I try to sleep. All the little worries and things that need to be done..

Hopefully 2008 will be a better year.

arrbsthw · Dec 24, 2007

RE: I'm tired.

Oh, my husband is getting a GPS for Christmas. I told him if we
got him that, maybe we could program the address in and I could get
there by myself without him having to help me. I remember you (TeamCaffee) said yours works great...so we thought we would try
this.

greg334 · Dec 24, 2007

RE: I'm tired.

I wish my wife would get me a GPS, instead I got a bucket, mop and a paint brush.

Doggie Daddy · Dec 24, 2007

RE: I'm tired.

I don't think that I would want to admit to some of the things that some of our members have posted here.Not in a public forum,it could come back and bite you hard someday.JMHO.DD.

butterfly610 · Dec 24, 2007

RE: I'm tired.

Regarding the GPS...we have one and I couldn't live without it. I like to know which lane to start trying to get in before I get there, and our GPS tells us how many miles left on the trip, how many miles to the next turn and has the arrow pointing at which direction your next turn is. I really love it. It has helped us whenever we get bad directions from the customer (strange how many people don't even know how to get to their own job...lol) and helps in the confusing cities that don't mark anything. Sometimes it can't find a particular address, but at least will get you to the street, which helps tremendously. Haven't gotten lost one time since we've used it.

I guess I'm not the only one that has to have my husband's help. I drive at night because I can stay up longer than him. But I have to have his help to back, or whenever we get right close to the shipper or consignee to help me see where to pull in and stuff. I'm newer at driving and he has lots of experience, so it works out good for me. Now I will say that if I'm sleeping and we get to a shipper or cons, he will take the papers (that i already have filled out) to get it signed or whatever. But I do all the paperwork as far as filling it out and keeping track of it and turning it in. He drove a regular big truck before this, so he's used to doing everything alone.

Our truck doesn't have a regular bed in back, but a couch that folds into a bed, so it's not the most comfortable, and I'm thinking of getting a comfortable blanket and more pillows and a mattress topper or something to help in the comfort area.

x06col · Dec 24, 2007

RE: I'm tired.

I use a goose down comforter folded twice. Much more economical than something that has to remember things for me.

ATeam · Dec 24, 2007

RE: I'm tired.

>We drove a Western Star that rode terrible and our sleep
>suffered because of it. At our request, the fleet owner had
>an aditional set of air bags installed under the sleeper,
>which improved the ride. Our sleep improved too
>========================================
>Now I see why there was so many owners in a short period of
>time.

We made the request after the truck owner told us about similar custom work he had had done on other trucks in his fleet. We did not even know it is an option until he so advised us. This was a positive event for both owner and drivers. For us because it improved the ride. For him because it helped keep us in the truck, which he very much wanted to do.