Night driving issues, sleepiness

whew, i had a co-worker that swore by it.. believe me, i did try a SIP, spit it out. gave the rest of the drink to him, he guzzled it like no tomorrow.

so i guess they do not make it anymore..???

 

I only drive during the day. The ELD basically should be stopping all the crazy shift changes. I drive anywhere from 6am-1am depending on when I start my day. Most days it 8am-11pm. Pulling dry can helps the worse would be short running reefer love loads.. I don't see how driver are switching from day to night so much with ELD.

 

I usually drive nights if I can (8pm to 8am). Best thing is to get some actual sleep during the day and take some breaks while driving at night. Get out and stretch regularly. If you find yourself extremely sleepy, pull over and take a nap. 30 minutes to 2 hours helps tremendously.

 

I went solar,enough said.
I used to love night driving couldn’t wait till the sun went down. I got over!

 

Talk Radio and sunflower seeds.....instead of music and smokes. (that's a joke, ((sort of))
Try to lower your carbohydrate and sugar intake; it takes a couple weeks to get used to not having bread and switching to diet drinks, but more energy and "alertness" is noticeable after a week of really sticking to it. I haven't taken a nap in two years...

 

One of the most serious hazards in this industry is driving when your circadian rhythm says you should be asleep. Add to this the boredom and you have a problem. There IS NO sure-fire cure for it either. If you have to drive at night try to not eat or eat very little in the hours before driving. Get as much (NON MEDICATED) sleep as you can. Most of us have been forced to do it. The most dangerous time is between 4AM and sunrise. I have seen truckers fly across medians and all over breakdown lanes during this time. I learned that when I had enough I stopped. No load is worth my life or the life of others. Dispatch understands this or they don't. If they don't go find another company to drive for.

 

It's important to avoid tunnel vision. You do this at night the same way as you do it during the day, keep your eyes moving. The more you focus on the white line, the more your peripheral creeps in until it's nonexistent. Once that happens, the drowsiness kicks in. The only cure once that happens is a nap. Don't be afraid to pull into a rest area or somewhere OFF THE ROADWAY to catch a half hour cat nap.

 

Like others have said, reefer loads run and deliver at night more then dry van or flatbed. But in this 'virus' economy, it would be best for drivers to choose reefer in my humble opinion!

 

Pick your best bioclock time situation for getting going at bushy tail and bright eye. Stick to that routine.

There is nothing you can buy, if there was we all would.

I run at night normally. You get alot done without traffic and always crank up to get going when everyone wants sleep. Wife was a morning person. She was best in the day. So we made a perfect team.

Any time you need to flip sleep clocks in your body. You need 3 days minimum without work to do it. With strict disclipine and food at the same time etc. Then you can safely do night work or vice versa.

That is the one flaw with Trucking on earth in America. You are forced to flip your clock every 18 hours which totally goes against all human beings. And sometimes the ###### in dispatch do not let you loose all the way around the clock. Stand your ground. When it's time for you to sleep, sleep and stay. Do not vary. They will learn.

 

Driver told me once to open a sleeve of saltines and dump them in my pants...said I would never get sleepy.

Vitamins work for me...and the occasional BC Powder for a jolt.