New Driver, Getting Exhausted With Trainer

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by jmarc77, Jun 21, 2022.

  1. Judge

    Judge Road Train Member

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    Mar 19, 2014
    Newport, Ar
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  3. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    Riding with the trainer is the most difficult portion of getting the CDL. You have no control over your day. You have to work according to a schedule someone else decides for you. It's hard to sleep in a moving truck, etc. Just get through it and your life will get much easier in your solo truck. When you are solo you can shower daily, etc. Stay focused on the goal, getting finished with training. No. Matter. What. Do not give up before you have your solo truck.
     
  4. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    If you are taking melatonin for the first time, start with small dose. I started at 1mg, but I'm 150 pounds. If you take a dose larger than needed the side effects are nightmares and sweating while you sleep. I would not start with more than a 5mg dose, and you can buy a cheap pill splitter at walmart, It works. So does diphenhydramine which the ingredient in many anti-allergy medications, tylenol PM, over the counter sleep tablets, Benadryl. There is a liquid product, a brand name is Zzzzyguil. It;s like Nyquil, but without the cold medicine.

    Once you take melatonin long enough, you may not be able to sleep without it. The melatonin tablets supply far more melatonin than your body's melatonin producing mechanism. Your body will notice you have plenty of melatonin, from the tablet, and turn off your natural melatonin maker. It's similar to how your body would react if you started taking steroids. Your natural steroid makers shrink.
     
  5. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    After working 14 hours you are only prohibited from driving until after you get 10 hours in sleeper/off-duty. You can work 168 hours per week, non-stop, if you or the company want.
     
  6. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Henderson, NV & Orient
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  7. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

    68,030
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    Henderson, NV & Orient
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    @tscottme
    Here's the other you posted; yeah, I take this also.
    3-pack for $16.00 at Sam's Club
    [​IMG]
     
  8. merv85

    merv85 Light Load Member

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    Mar 24, 2020
    Dallas, Tx
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    You need to tell safety about this kind of practice,

    Especially with coil loads, it is a disaster in waiting

    Also i thought flatbeding was banking hours,
     
  9. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    Yes. I like the generic store brand from Kroger. It is about half the price of the brand name.
     
  10. jmarc77

    jmarc77 Light Load Member

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    Sep 17, 2021
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    I had my trainer take over driving. I'll feel fine after a shower and a solid 6-7 hours of sleep, but waking up after 4 hours of mediocre sleep in a steel mill parking lot on an empty stomach, still filthy from the work the day before, to go and do 5 shuttle runs loading shotgun coils in near 90 degree heat is not healthy or safe. I'm almost done with training and I will note it to the training supervisors but I know my trainer will say good things about my work ethic, my driving and my performance, so I don't want to throw away two weeks of good training while I'm in the home stretch.
     
  11. LtlAnonymous

    LtlAnonymous Road Train Member

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    Dec 23, 2016
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    Ehhh true. I was thinking about that after I posted. Still a #### thing to do to a trainee.
     
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