Good day, eh?

The one thing I am thinking that is important here is that a driver needs stamina. The drivers that are older now that have been doing it for a long time, they have that stamina built up - but for someone like you that is at your age and hasn't been doing OTR, stamina is something that could break you. If you don't feel you can do 650-700 miles in a day (not saying every day it will be like that), and be flexible with your schedule and sleeping patterns, and don't eat right and/or don't get enough energy, because trucking can be VERY mentally draining, then you might want to think about remaining a wanna-be.

However, if you feel you can handle the physical and mental exertion, then I say go for it by all means, and give it a shot!

 

I guess it just depends on how far I have to go.
With this route that I'm on right now, from Detroit to Texas border, I do 350mi or so, stop and get fuel if needed, use restroom, grab something to eat, then run the other 350. Normally I take about a half an hour to do all that - fuel, bathroom and eat - and sometimes I'll grab my Subway and eat on the go.

I normally like to stop just once during the course of my trip. I hate stopping and wasting time. The quicker I get there, the more time I have to lay down and rest, as I can't just lay down and fall asleep on a dime - takes me a couple hours to get myself wound down to where I can sleep.

 

It happens. In fact, I've had a 19 hour day today. Had to tear out my log page twice. I'll admit it.
When you have deadlines and commitments...and then trailer blowing a tire two days in a row. But everyone has different needs.

Me, I can go 1,000 miles a day if I wanted to, but then I like to take longer than a 10 hour break. These HOS regulations don't fit me well, as they don't fit many others well. One guy I knew liked to drive 6, then take a 4 hour nap, drive 6, take a 4 hour nap, and it suited him just fine...although not legal.

The thing about this HOS regs is that it's supposed to combat driving fatigue...but the pressure of having to get somewhere before your time runs out makes drivers more stressed, more tired, more irritated and unhappy, etc.

As far as running tired....when my eyes start to have a hard time focusing on the road, then I know it's time to pull over and sleep, and I don't mess around with that. When it's time to sleep, it's time to sleep, I don't push it.

 

every day is different driving i drove 637 miles monday never got out of the truck stopped and wasn't even tired
last week with plenty of sleep i needed to stop 5 times in 400 miles
At 59 I plan my drives across the rockies or thru Pa Turnpike construction for daytimes if possible night vision isn't what it
was at 29. I have found just for myself that i put my progressive lenses in there case and use just distance glasses for driving
I also have prescription single lense sunglasses that help more then anything

 

well i dont need the glasses at all like on the computer just sometimes reading when i am tired.
I worked on the atlantic ocean most of my life and the glare off the water made sunglasses vital
so i been wearing the wraparound non glare ever since they came out
my 82 year old father still drives you just learn to compensate as you get older
I plan my trips whenever possible starting early ending early
more room at the truckstop and even if i am driving at 3 am not as much traffic to worry about
of course i was always an early riser working the boats so that is just works for me