Just want to explain to people why this is a bad idea, and yes it is a violation as well. In the last 30 yrs, I have had pneumonia three times, so I am some what susceptible to it. I am also one of those types who pushes themselves too hard, and when I get sick, I don't stop or slow down until it's too late. I seem to get the flu every few years, and when I do, I end up bedridden for a solid 4 to 5 days.
This past Labor Day weekend, my wife came down with something. We were doing some heavy duty house cleaning Sat. night and Sunday, when she began to complain of a sore throat and a cough. By Monday morning, she had a slight fever, stuffy nose additionally. Lo and behold, come Tuesday afternoon, I've got a scratchy throat and stuffy nose (both of which I wrote off to my allergies). By Wed. night, I was in full sick mode, no fever, but aches, stuffy nose, sore throat, cough, chest congestion, generally feeling like hell. Thursday, I had to do a 5.75 ea way run, loaded all my drugs with me and headed off. The run would balance out that I would end up 30 minutes from home. Hit the end of my 14/11, parked, and tried to pass out, no doing. Laid there in the bunk for 90 minutes, couldn't do anything, in part, because the most serious drug I needed, Nyquil, was at home. Over the course of the next 10 hrs, I slept maybe 3 to 4hrs. Finally drove to the yard, filled my tanks, ran home for a hot shower (the wife BTW was diagnosed on Weds. with pneumonia), and then right back to work for a run from Denver to Monte Vista, Co. and back.
This is why you should not drive when ill or fatigued, I was so miserable, I have no recollection of the drive from Denver to Monte Vista, only thing I know, it rained most of the way. I really don't know if I hit anyone (no damage we saw anywhere), if I ran someone off the road, or really any part of the drive.
When I finally got back Friday afternoon, I went to my PCP for a checkup, I have sinus infection, ear infection and a Upper Respiratory Infection. I'm now parked for 3 days minimum, on heavy duty anti-biotics, drinking lots of fluids, and sleeping as much as possible. My PCP chewed my butt out for working on Friday, she is also the one who does my Med. cert., that I should have stayed home. When I called my boss at home Friday night to let him know I wouldn't be in until Tuesday, he chewed me out for working on Friday, which I pointed out to him, I told him on Thursday that I didn't want to work, that all I wanted to do was go home and die, but he was begging me because Friday was a full day and he couldn't spare anyone else. Which he later admitted on Friday night, it wasn't that busy, he could have sent one of the City guys to do it, and they would have been happy with the extra hours.
BTW, another sign of how miserable I was, my new truck arrived on Friday, 5 months late, I didn't even bother to look at it, barely acknowledged it was parked in the shop.
Driving while ill or fatigued
Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by striker, Sep 6, 2014.
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Oh Lawd! Check yourself into the hospital right away!
Great advise, striker! Let your company know the circumstances and it is really on them to reorganize the loads. Even as an OTR driver the company should repower the load to let a driver get much needed rest. It's hard to get to a doctor on the road, but essential in a case like yours. -
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