How do you not fall asleep?

Its cetainly not a good start...

I can't offer any advise on not falling asleep I just pull over when I'm tired and I would encourage you to do the same..

 

-Drive with the windows down
-Blast very cold AC, even at night
-Drink coffee

 

To avoid falling asleep I... pull over and go to sleep. I plan all of my trips (days) with at least an extra hour on them for... whatever. (99% of the time that's possible, some loads are pretty #### tight from the get go.) That's one hour above all of the considerations for bathroom stops, fueling, traffic, etc... Twice now I've stopped at a rest area or truck stop and knocked out for an hour. Felt great when I got up and finished my day with no problem.

 

a 15 minute nap works wonders when you get that tired.

 

The only cure if your tired is to sleep. 15 minute power naps, staying within your normal sleep patterns and regular safety stops.

 

Some people never have that problem, and some people are just hard-wired to get sleepy in a moving vehicle.

If you're the second type, probably you ought to think about doing something different. You can do a lot less damage falling asleep behind a desk than behind a wheel.

Otherwise, what the others said above about keeping good sleeping patterns and power naps when needed is good advice.

 

I am an exception to the power nap thing. If I can't get at least 6 hours straight sleep I am more tired than if I just stayed awake. Coffee doesn't work for me as it makes me pee every hour. Energy shots seem to work but I use them sparingly. I find talking to friends on the phone while driving tends to help. I also download graphic audio stories and listen to them while driving. Before I know it I've made it through an entire 6 hour episode.

Also to pick me up I will listen to music. I have a playlist of wakeup music on the heavier side...slipknot, 5 finger death punch, korn, rob zombie....stuff like that really wakes me up and after a half hour or so I am not sleepy at all.

 

As a OTR driver are you basically forced to use every hour of your driving time everyday??