Driving Fast For Sleep ?

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by FEELTHEWHEEL, Dec 10, 2012.

  1. timd1978

    timd1978 Light Load Member

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    you're welcome man...That was just the first thing that popped into my head when I read that...lol
     
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  3. dca

    dca Road Train Member

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    Sounds more.like they're givin you line of bs poster.
     
  4. snowwy

    snowwy Road Train Member

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    2 hour power nap. 8 hour break.

    laugh all you want. but i've never been able to work a full day without a power nap. since way back in grade school. and i've never been able to sleep past 6 hours. let alone 10.

    most truckers can't drive a full shift without getting tired. thus, the beauty of running paper with no dispatch monitoring us.
    who the heck likes driving 11 hours straight. talk about montonous. specially in the western states.
    think of california. the drive up 5 into oregon would only take 1 shift instead of 1 1/2 shifts. 700+ miles roughly.
    and some of us get very tired and bored driving that slow.

    and as for the op's question. think of the beauty of the more miles you drive during the first shift. the less you have to drive during the second shift. more sleep. technically speaking anyways.

    imagine 650 miles in a governed truck compared to 750 miles in a non governed truck. and your load is 800 miles.

    miles equals money. does it not?

    the old saying goes. "if the wheels aren't turning. the wheels aren't earning. "
     
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  5. EZX1100

    EZX1100 Road Train Member

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    there are times when i want to arrive early JUST so i can get a good sleep in

    i dont know how that equates to driving fast, but you set your aim to be in a certain place by 10pm so you can be wide awake by 6am. i see nothing wrong with that

    why go slow and arrive at midnight when you can arrive earlier?
     
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  6. tracyq144

    tracyq144 Heavy Load Member

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    Feb 15, 2009
    MN
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    Back when I drove a fast truck (82-fast to me, anyway), driving fast to get more sleep was a common practice for me, why not? Paper logs, same pay, why not do it in less time? I'm not talking crazy driving, but if I could let it roll, I would.

    Now I drive a castrated truck, elogs, and I usually have to drive 10-11 hours straight (couple of 5-20 minute breaks), through whatever rush hour cities are on route, and I hate it. Plus, I cannot usually sleep more than 6-7 hours straight, so I am almost always ready for a nap-but, no! The Feds are taking care of me.

    Anyway, driving fast for more sleep, yeah, if you have the tools.
     
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  7. special-k

    special-k Road Train Member

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    I think anyone that does regional work with paper logs does/did it. Whether it means driving faster or just not stopping as often. I know I always liked to be sleeping at the customers by midnight for an am u/l so I was well rested. Plus by the time you got u/l and reloaded your log book would catch up so you had 10 hours to get home. EOBR's would have destroyed what family life I had doing regional work.
     
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  8. EZX1100

    EZX1100 Road Train Member

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    but you would be compliant
     
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  9. Powder Joints

    Powder Joints Subjective Prognosticator

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    I do not believe driving fast will make enough of a difference to affect my sleep at all. You just have to cinside the source, most of these Hotrods camp in Truckstops or similar places . Better to arrive alive
     
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  10. Moosetek13

    Moosetek13 Road Train Member

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    Burnsville, MN
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    Well, I like to sleep 6-8 hours.

    But it takes me a few hours to be ready to sleep, and at least 1-2 hours before I am ready to drive after waking up.

    I plan my loads with at least 12 hour sleep breaks, and at least 1 hour for breaks during a full driving day.
    Sometimes I need to cut it shorter, but I try not to.

    Some may call me lazy, or worse.
    But it is how I function best.
    I don't push it just for the extra buck, because to me it is not about the money - it is about doing what I love most, driving.
    And Safely.

    I am governed at 63, and I run it at 63.
    So yes, I 'push' the speed so I can get that extra quarter/half hour of sleep.

    The downside? I don't run quite as many miles as I could have, if I always pushed to the limit.
    The upside? I am still alive.
    And I have a safety rating of -12, which is not exceeded in my terminal - maybe not in the company.
     
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  11. STexan

    STexan Road Train Member

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    Sometimes arriving a few hours early can mean the difference between getting a restart before your unload appointment or not. Sometime it can mean getting over Donner before it gets bad or getting hung up in Reno for the night.

    I can see fast[er] running being beneficial on the longer and cross-country hauls but just in the context of one day for more break/sleep time? not so much.
     
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