When do you Sleep/

Jack_Berry · Jan 6, 2009

i run as hard as i can legally as long as i can. when i start nodding i look for a place to stop and call dispatch. usually 1-2 hrs is all i need to finish the load.

motel? had one last week when the truck broke. then spent 6 days at a friends home over new years. man my truck bed sure seems small(LOL

cheri1122 · Jan 6, 2009

Aileron: you can 'see' the area at & around the consignee with Google Earth - I check it out when there's time, to see if I want to park there when arriving many hrs early.

BillChaffey · Jan 6, 2009

I have always stayed in the Van. Have tried "5 hour energy" & "Red Bull" other then being outrageously priced & having a foul taste, neither one of them did anything for me. When I drove for Panther, as an example, if I had 10 hours to go 400 miles once I was past halfway with 5-6 hours to do less then 200 miles. I would call Dispatch and say I'm taking a nap for an hour or so. Dispatch would threaten me with my job if I stopped.

hondaking38 · Jan 6, 2009

yep never tell the dispatch anything!!! all you will do is confuse them...just do it.....havent had a load long enough to require a nap in a long time..(june)

Suds43 · Jan 6, 2009

Jack_Berry said:
i run as hard as i can legally as long as i can.

Hey Jack, Bolt doesn't restrict it's van drivers. I don't know how you could run 'not' legal....no restrictions on hours or miles.

Jack_Berry · Jan 6, 2009

speedwise mark. not hours related.

bearcat, hondaking, you must have a different relationship with dispatchers than i have. never been threatened.

Suds43 · Jan 6, 2009

ooppss........LOL never thought of the 'speed limits'...........

chefdennis · Jan 6, 2009

Bearcat, you are right, 5 hour energy and red bull each, do nothing for me either, but when taken together, well lets just say, it works. As for telling dispatch i am taking a nap, while i don't do it often, when i have stopped and taken a nap (maybe twice), its never been an iaaue with dispatch....

fastman_1 · Jan 6, 2009

When I need a Power Nap I call dispatch and leave a wake up call in 30 minutes.

layoutshooter · Jan 6, 2009

Yes, I do have snooze control. It is connected to my GPS. It even has a snore by snore turn feature!! Layoutshooter

aileron · Jan 7, 2009

cheri1122 said:
Aileron: you can 'see' the area at & around the consignee with Google Earth - I check it out when there's time, to see if I want to park there when arriving many hrs early.

Thanks. I use Google Earth once in a while, and I have internet in the truck, but never thought about looking up the consignee. Will definitely do that from now on, since sometimes it happens that some places are open and will unload you early.

MSinger · Jan 7, 2009

layoutshooter said:
I just sleep while I am driving. That way I don't have to see how scary it is out there and when I get to where I am going I am fresh and ready for another run. Layoutshooter

I hope it works better for you than it did for me : )'

layoutshooter · Jan 7, 2009

Did you have an unfortunate episode? Layoutshooter

MSinger · Jan 10, 2009

Yep, back in May.
http://www.expeditersonline.com/for...shed-old-yeller.html?highlight=Crashed+yeller

nightcreacher · Jan 11, 2009

being a team its easy,we take turns every 10 hours,but since my co-driver is off til the 16th of jan.Ive been running solo,and I find it very difficult to manage the 14 hour clock.So what I find myself doing is either while delivering or loading, doing my 10 hour in the bunk time.As far as sleep,when running team,if we have 10 hours off its usually is in a motel,now cause of sitting over the weekend in a motel.Plus its much warmer in the room than in the truck and motel has free internet

finbar73 · Jan 11, 2009

whats interesting is how many posts it took before someone mentioned safety.US and Canada have rules that tell you when to stop because to many people just keep rolling.As a business person one would say as a general rule take a break when the job is over.

highway star · Jan 11, 2009

finbar73 said:
whats interesting is how many posts it took before someone mentioned safety.

It only took 5. In the 5th post Turtle talks about being safe and legal. Others refer to keeping themselves refreshed with naps on long runs, but just didn't specifically mention safety. How long someone can stay behind the wheel is a very individual thing. There are those that can do 18 hours like it's a walk in the park. Then there are those that are toast after 10.

cheri1122 · Jan 11, 2009

Even without having Multiple Personality Disorder, it also varies quite a bit for just one driver: some days I feel I can go forever, and some days I feel like toast after 5 or 6. Which is why the whole concept of 'one size fits all' is just ludicrous, IMO.
When I notice myself getting more annoyed than usual at the stupid/selfish/rude drivers, I know I'm too tired to keep driving, & need to sleep before my eyes begin going out of focus. (What I do instead of nodding off).

CharlesD · Jan 11, 2009

cheri1122 said:
Even without having Multiple Personality Disorder, it also varies quite a bit for just one driver: some days I feel I can go forever, and some days I feel like toast after 5 or 6. Which is why the whole concept of 'one size fits all' is just ludicrous, IMO.
When I notice myself getting more annoyed than usual at the stupid/selfish/rude drivers, I know I'm too tired to keep driving, & need to sleep before my eyes begin going out of focus. (What I do instead of nodding off).

I'm like that as well. I did 1000 miles once with hardly a problem, and other times a 500 mile run will wipe me out. In the summer when the sun is out and there is a lot of daylight, I can run as long as the sun is up without a problem, but once the sun goes down, I'm toast. If I'm in an area with lots of good scenery, I don't fatigue as fast either.

I think it is very important for each driver to know his limits and to make sure to get that rest when needed, regardless of how ahead of or behind schedule you are. No piece of freight is worth your life or the lives of other people on the road.