All the conventional wisdom says "if you're sleepy, don't rely on drugs or caffeine to pick you up. Rely on sleep."

Here's what I can't figure. That seems to conflict with the idea that truckers run any time of day or night. What I'm trying to envision is a scenario where someone who is used to sleeping at night is not too dangerously tired to drive at night. Instead of driving at night, wouldn't it be better to do all driving during the daytime and sleep at night? I can't quite explain what I'm asking here. How is it safe to ask drivers to work day and night?

I work during the day and sleep at night. I'm up and functional around 06:00 Eastern time, I brush my teeth, shave, play with the cat, do my paperwork and get underway.
I drive my 9.75 or 10.75 hours, usually straight through, I park in the evening, make supper and watch some television. I go to sleep. I don't use an alarm clock. Sometimes I'll stop and take a nap during the day for an hour or so if I feel tired.
I've made it clear to my dispatcher that I will not get up at midnight and start driving because I gain hours at midnight. I don't give a ratzass what's legal, I have to be safe, I can't drive late night early morning and I don't try. I try to get to where I'm going so I can sleep there and make my delivery in the morning.
Sometimes I have to make late night or early morning deliveries and pickups. I sleep when I'm tired, and drive when I'm un-tired.
Years ago I drove for a company hauling beer from Eden North Carolina to New England, I would sit at the brewery all day waiting for my load, drive up into Virginia and go to sleep. I'd call in to dispatch in the morning and the boss expected me to be delivering in the morning. He thought that because I spent 24 hours off at the brewery I could drive overnight. I'd ask him where he was at 03:00.
"I was in bed." He'd tell me.
"No #####! So was I!"
Be Legal and be safe, appointments can be changed.

Alot of truckers run at night.

Some companies (like the one I work for) send their LINE HAUL drivers out at night or for the week. Whether for one night or for the week, they will sleep during the daytime hours and drive at night.

I also drove this schedule when I first started driving for them and it was tough getting used to. BUT once you get tired enough to sleep during the day, you just do it and get thru it.

Actually I loved night driving. The only thing that I saw was NO different then day and night was the CHICAGO traffic. I don't think those people sleep there.

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I could sleep fine during the day and drive at night when I was OTR, but I couldn't doing running local because I wasn't sleeping in the truck. I couldn't sleep during the day for nothing at home. My problem time was from 8 pm to around 11 pm, couldn't stay awake for nothing during that time, so I slept, and started rolling about midnight, and would roll all night.

There are some people that are night owls, and sleep better during the day. Think of all the people that work the graveyard shift at places. It's not much different than that. I usually preferred driving at night, because there was a lot less traffic, especially around the cities. Cybergal - 3 am is pretty quiet in Chicago for all of about an hour! Chicago is definitely one city that does not seem to sleep.

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I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was going to blame you.

Dynamite comes in small packages, Nitro comes in smaller ones, take your pick!

Yeah, but those people work only nights, consistently. My concern is driving at day one week, then driving at night the next. How is that safe?

The driver makes sure he/she gets their sleep before driving. The drivers know when they need to sleep, and do so. If they are getting tired, then they park it and sleep. The vast majority of drivers care enough about the public safety and their license to be smart about it.

Here's something else to think about. How many people drive their car when they really should not be due to lack of sleep? I was doing research for a paper for a class in college last year, and came across some very interesting statistics. Here's one that completely fits this topic - In fatal crashes between big trucks and passenger cars where drowsiness or sleepiness was cited as a factor, the driver of the passenger car was cited 94% of the time. This statistic comes from the FMCSA Analysis Division's 2005 Large Truck Crash Facts report. What does that tell you about who is driving tired?
Also, a driver is only allowed to work a total of 14 hours per 24 hour period, with 11 of those hours being allowed for driving. Then they have to spend 10 hours off duty or in their sleeper. That means they are not driving and working day and night.

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I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was going to blame you.

Dynamite comes in small packages, Nitro comes in smaller ones, take your pick!

don't worry, 10 days - two weeks of not enough sleep... you'll sleep in the day-time.

home-truck- standing up... wherever... lol

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Though your argument is very clever, I don't think it will lead to the results you desire. gandhi

10/4 to that,I used to be guilty of it myself when I was working construction I drove wherever they needed me from Texas to NJ,Ca. or wherever and most of the time I did it straight thru with some help of Mini Thins of course,but that was 20 years ago but I bet a lot of traveling people still do it.
Seems like there ought to be a law for 4 wheelers as well.

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I think you just become accustom to the different sleep patterns. Hometime however, can throw you off schedule.

I agree more or less, other than that anyone that is awake when you are sleeping thinks you are fair game to awaken. I hate cell phones

About Chi, the construction workers don't sleep at night, I have driven through that mess during any of the 24 hours of a day, the only time I refuse is on Friday afternoons, everyone is trying to get out of the city for the weekend. There are a few jokes I have heard about that town, but not for this Forum.