Falling Asleep While Driving

Wow, never would have guessed that.

Probably because cold air blowing on me makes me even more drowsy when I am tired.
And adding more layers makes me feel encumbered and lethargic.

 

1. coffee in the morning, I dont drive at night but when I used to Mt Dew (regular flavor)

2. You get 10 hrs of rest, how much you sleep is up to you before a possible 14 hr work day.

3. You can legally drive 11 hrs in your 14 hr window. If you averaged 65 mph the whole way that would be 715 miles driven. I personally consider anything 500 and above a long haul.

4. YES

5. Anyone gets near, on or around my truck they better have a gun as trouble is about to start. If you dont belong somewhere then dont. Same thing with if you dare try to heist me while dropping a duece or taking a leak im not afraid to turn and whizz on you or come out with my pants around ankles and come a fighting.

 

You sound like a Physics teacher! No promoting websites, thanks!

 

As long as is needed by your body, listen to it, it will tell you when you are tired and if you nap and still tired, go back to sleep. Your body also adapts to driving over time. The bodies clock or Cycadian Rythem is what makes it hard for some to drive at night and others not to have a problem, it just takes time to get used to. A long haul for a typical driver might be 600 miles or more a day. By law we are required to have a 10 hour break, some people might sleep all of it, some might only sleep part of it and eat, and do whatever. We can only drive a max of 11 hours per day within a 14 hour clock. meaning we can stop and eat or take a 2 hour nap, etc.within the 14 hours and still drive legal. We are limited to where we can park sometimes. Rest areas, truck stops only, some Wal-marts might let trucks park.

 

Shoot, I wear my PJs and my bunny slippers. Never even came close to falling asleep. Its very much a lifestyle and an art. Also I take naps and exercise all the time. You dont have to be a slave to driving. But you gotta like driving and know your limitations, and know how to stay safe and not oneself in an unsafe area/situation. some have it, some dont...

 

In a truck you can check out seat covers in passing vehicles .

 

If you want to know why drivers fall asleep you need to look at drivers that are pushed to violate HOS . The driver that killed 10 Mennonites in KY drove for a carrier that had been cited for numerous HOS violations by the FMCSA and should have been shut down prior to that accident.
When a Crete driver slammed into a stopped vehicle and burned seven children to death there was documentation dispatch had knowingly pressured this driver to seriously violate HOS.
The fault for the number of HOS violations is lack of enforcement by FMCSA. Falsifying , allowing or forcing to falsify drivers logs is a felony .
The DOT Office of inspector General has prosecuted owners and drivers from small carriers but never filed charges against management of the larger carriers despite finding enough violations during and audit to give them a poor safety rating .
Go to safersys.org and check the company snapshot of major carriers. You will see hundreds of their drivers were put Out Of Service for HOS violations.
They couldn't drive those hours if dispatch didn't give them the loads.
The responsibility is on the driver to run legally but dispatchers know who they can push . The Crete driver that caused the multiple fatality accident was promised more home time if he would run "extra" loads.
New drivers that went to driving school after they lost their job in another career and were unemployed for months will do whatever their dispatcher asks to keep from facing unemployment again. The trucking industry has a DAC reporting system used by major carriers . A drive with little experience that gets a negative DAC might as well give up trying to get a job with another carrier

 

This has to do with the reclining position of most passenger vehicles. The small cabin also limits air circulation. Warm cabin temps and a relaxed reclining position leads many car drivers to get drowsy.

Trucks on the other hand have an upright seat. A commanding view of the roadway and a huge cabin that allows for some serios ventilation. The air ride seats allow for height adjustment and smooth out the bumps to a point but not nearly as well as a cars suspension does.

I listen to Satellite radio while driving. Books on tape are also a great way to while away the hours. This keeps my mind active and engaged while my body does the work. Chewing gum will help keep you awake as well as caffeine drinks such as coffee, soft drinks or even energy shots. A bathroom break during the trip, lunch break, or just a few minutes to get out and walk around will also refresh a driver during a long trip.

My body requires about 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night. The current regs require truck drivers to have a 10 hour break after a 14 hours work shift before our next driving shift. This allows time to unwind at the end of a day, watch some tv, surf the internet, eat a meal, etc. A shower in the morning helps wake me up and I can start the day off right.

Anything that requires at least a full day of driving. Normally this will be around 600 miles or more. Regional type runs normally are 150 to 500 miles and local driving is normally a 100 mile radius of the starting point.

No. There are NO regulations specifically requiring sleep at all. The regs require a "rest period." This 10 hour break can be 10 hours off duty, 10 hours sleeping in a truck sleeper berth, or ANY consecutive combination of sleeper berth/off-duty time. In other words a driver could drive 11 hours then stop at a Casino or truckstop and spend the next 10 hours watching TV or gambling if he wanted to. Here is a link to the regs;

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/topics/hos/index.htm

We lock our doors and pull the curtains to offer a little privacy. Some drivers have concealed carry permits for guns while others carry billy clubs, baseball bats, tire thumpers, tazers, knives, cell phones, dogs, and even surveilance cameras. Female drivers may opt for pepper spray or panick alarms/whistles to feel safer. Lets not forget that many truckers are also former military vets and have training in hand to hand combat.

Other than the above drivers will park in travel centers, rest areas, and truckstops where there is better lighting and safety in numbers.

 

Not much in theses new trucks. Plastic is plastic. Gotta make the new recruits comfy if they're gonna work for peanuts.


Lots of difference between an older truck and a car.

 

Only because there's nowhere legal or safe to park.