It seems like there are a lot of people on this thread with a lot of knowledge and great advice and I am hoping someone can help me. I am struggling with getting enough sleep to drive safely. When I get a run that requires me to drive all night, I simply can't fall asleep during the day. I am somehow able to "tough it out" and finish the run overnight, but I feel like I am pushing the boundaries of driving safely and I am fearful that my "tough it out" attitude will eventually backfire. If this was working overnight in a restaurant or home construction or something, that would be one thing, but this is driving a big rig and we all know the consequences of making a mistake while driving a truck are much worse than nearly everything else. Anyway, does anyone have any advice on how to sleep during the day when you have already slept the night before?
Abilene Motor Express....A New Place To Call Home
Discussion in 'Discuss Your Favorite Trucking Company Here' started by JohnBoy, Apr 10, 2013.
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Redtwins sugguestion of melatonin is a good one. Ive never tried it though. Ive heard a lot of sleep walking accounts from ambien, some 1st person.
Best advice once you know you gotta run nights plan your trip. Then quiet your mind, black out the sleeper, ear plugs and or fan for white noise. I like it cold and to be able to wrap up. My wife swears by essential oils. Lavender is good for sleep. Create a routine before sleep and do it all the time. Stay off phone, qc, and away from blue light as they wake you up. If not sleepy try to mentally or physically exert some energy then try again.
When ya gotta power through a night caffene helps if your not guzzeling it like crazy every day. Talk radio is more engaging than music, make the truck super cold, open windows, try to avoid 3 to 6 am as thats when your probably most sleepy. Gum, mints, sunflower seeds in shell help occupy you.
MOST IMPORTANT. Stop when you need to. 5 to 10 minutes of walkkng round truck stop cleaning ur windows etc does wonders.
If you decide that you simply must stop and its going to make the load late, id send a detailed message to dispatch, noting things like how long u sat before being dispatched, how long uve been up and that ur stoppng for safety reasons. May or may not help you at your current job, but keeping a pic of those messages will help when you apply to a more reasonable carrier.
And lastly, accept this is part of the lifestyle. Id also try to talk to other drivers for your company and see if you can figure out any patterns at all to how when loads are dispatched.
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