Late Nights...Energy question

I sometimes drive late night routes and get extremely tired. My worst nightmare would be to fall asleep at the wheel or slip up on the road. I was just curious if any of the experienced drivers have any advice for getting and keeping energy through the drive? Do you use and energy drink like the 5-Hour Energy Shot, do you eat something like peanuts, or do you just have a great way to stay awake? Any advice or tips would help.

 

There is no substitute for sleep. Period. You have to get what you need. With the hours of service rules the way they are, there's no excuse for driving tired. If you find yourself working for an employer that wants you to break the law, then quit. Even if it takes you another year or two to find another job. Nothing is worth this:



Your dispatcher isn't going to answer for this if this happens to you, you will. He's not the one going to prison, you will.

If you are tired, pull over and go to bed. There's no magic potion. Even a 20-30 minute nap will sometimes be enough. I do that after lunch just about every day.

 

Methamphetamine is a good replacement for sleep, I once drove from NYC to LA non-stop(except fuel), almost 40hrs of straight driving, and it only cost me $50 in meth.

Cocaine is good too, but more expensive, it is much harder to take coke on the road, as it is hard to shoot it driving a truck down the highway, and it is really hard to lay it out on a mirror or glass plate.


K



PS

Just kidding

 

The only mirror I got in my truck is the fish eye I knocked off my fender. I tried doing a line off of it, but the powder rolls off down my leg!

Dangit!

 

HOS don't prevent excuses in all cases . Suppose you stop 2 hours from your delivery , take your ten hour break , then drive 2 hours in the morning and you're told you can't unload until 11 or 12 hours later . legally your dispatcher can tell you to take a 10 hour break until 6 p.m. , spend a couple of hours unloading , then drive all night . HOS is no help here .

 

I agree MrMustard. Nothing is a substitute for sleep. Does anyone have details of that accident? Is the driver a member here? Was it "Truck Driver Fatigue" that cause that accident? Looks like it might have rained recently, the position of the car to the truck...seems like there could be alot more factors involved. Rick, I see how hour of service would be no help. And how a dispatcher WOULD want you to ride all night after that break. I can see how saying flat out no would pose a problem. But I also know that if I have to sit in the sleeper of my truck, after a couple movies, I am going to be falling asleep. I think most people would too. They say its against the body's natural sleep cycle, but not really. How often have you lounged around all day, in and out of naps and then werent tired that night?

 

20 minute power naps always do the trick for me. Don't go back in the sleeper- you'll sleep too deeply and will end up more groggy. Stay in the drivers seat. Either slouch down or lay on the steering wheel. If you're like most of us, you'll nod off for a few minutes, then wake up cause you're uncomfortable. Just a few minutes of sleep can work wonders. It can help to follow the nap with a brisk walk, if you can spare another ten minutes.

 

I would argue that the driver's seat is the worst place to take a nap. You are conditioning your mind and body that it is OK to fall asleep in the driver's seat. You may do this while driving some day. A better solution is to nap in the passenger seat.

 

I do the majority of my driving at night and I do it that way by design. It not only comes down to rest but what your body is accustomed to. 5 to 6 hours of sleep is usually good enough for me but I will agree that there is no subsitute for sleep.

 

turn sideways head againest the glass feet proped up in the passenger seat take a quick power nap. usually wake up in about 20 mins when my legs start yelling at me for the position they are in, walk around the truck a few times and hit the road...