Help with night driving

Had to go earlier and couldn't finish what I was going to say ...... Don't sweat it. Some people have a real problem with any type of night work. Some of us are opposite. I 've been a night driver for decades and my body clock is totally attuned to it. I love nights. Maybe I have some raccon in me ...... or maybe it's skunk ...... hhhhhmmmm. Anyways, loads of good advice here. Good luck.

SL

 

i just needed a nap sometime between 2 and 5 .....never was very good at night driving but i second getting out of the truck every couple of hours and doing push ups or just walking around the trailer best of luck to you

 

Ok here's what I do when my body is telling me to shut down. GET TO THE NEAREST SAFE PARKING PLACE AND GET A NAP. Now since you are teaming when you get tired you can tell your wife to drive for a couple of hours so you can get a power nap. You don't even have to stop the vehicle if you real good. Even if you don't know how to do a rolling switch. You can switch at the stop sign of the get on ramp and keep trucking.

Some people are not cut out for night driving. Now that I'm getting older. I can't even drive like I use too. Now what I would do when I was running outlaw. I would slap myself. Slap your neck, Roll down the window and stick your arm out untill you lose feeling (in the winter) Yell (since you are team your wife wouldn't like that). Blast music and let the rumble strips wake me up.

Team driving sucks and you can not get decent rest. Know your limits. Know the times that you get the sleepiest, but whatever you do. That load will get there when it gets there and its better then being in a bunch of pieces and your team partner in your windshield. Safety first. Listen to your body and give it the rest it deserves, because it will shut down on you.

 

#1 - Do NOT look at any clocks. You are just driving along and it is dark. When you learn to forget totally about what time of day it is, much easier to keep your mind from thinking "what the heck am I doing on the road now, the rest of the world sleeps at this hour." I like to wake up in the afternoon and drive until just before the sun is coming up. This is from the conditioning of pulling reefer loads overnight to the east coast. At 5 or 6 am or so I get so tired I have to shut it down. It may also be from earlier years of staying up until the sun is coming up again and deciding if sleep is going to happen it better start soon. Also, if you notice the times DOT does inspections, for the most part, is from the early morning hours til the afternoon dinner time. This schedule may help you to stretch out a few more easy miles in the night .....

 

If I start feeling even remotely unsafe, I stop at the nearest T/S or rest area, grab a towel, and go into the rest room and wet my head, face and neck with cold water. Then I get the towel damp and take it back to the truck and drape it around my neck. I usually grab a candy bar and pop as well. Usually refreshs me for atleast a few hours. I have heard of drivers keeping a damp towel in a cooler to pull out and use around their neck so as to not stop. But I think atleast a little bit of time on your feet has to help get the blood flowing.

 

The biggest thing, which took me a while to figure out, is that your body will tell you that some time of the day is it's favorite time for sleeping, and that it NEEDS at least some every day. I can go the first day with no sleep at all, but at the end of the second day I pay for it. If I sleep even about 6 hours a day I am good to go for the week. At the end of the week I "catch up" if you will. Too much sleep can also be bad. Ever sleep for so long that when you finally get up, your body still wants to sleep and you feel tired? Everyone is different, just takes a while to figure out your own system.

 

you may have sleep apnea. If you are just talking about getting sleepy at bedtime, that's normal and healthy. But if you are talking about dozing off during the day or sleeping for 8 hours or more and not feeling rested then you should look into sleep apnea. Do you snore ? Are you overweight ? If so, you would probably benefit from a CPAP machine.

 

You might have to reach back in the archives and explain to her about the inkwells, in case her grandparents never mentioned it much.

 

I mostly drive at night but I've always been a night person. One thing that will kill me every time is eating mid-shift. Makes me tired every time. I only eat at the beginning or the end at night. Keep your eyes moving around. The last thing you want to do is stare at anything at night. Check the gauges and mirrors often. Wonder about what the heck that light out in the middle of nowhere three miles off the interstate is. Just keep your eyes moving. I listen to audiobooks mostly, but sometimes if I'm starting to get tired, driving in silence helps me stay awake.

I don't drink caffeine, haven't had it in years, so that's no help for me. Getting sleep before you drive is key. I purposely stay awake if the truck will be stopped when it's not my shift due to unloading, loading or whatever reason. That way when the truck starts moving I'll be tired and can sleep. If your loads are unpredictable it makes it real hard to plan that out though.

 

I work 1PM to 1AM,I usually eat breakfast at 11AM then eat again at 9PM.I like to play little games while driving.I have to find 10 orange trucks within 30 minutes ,see 50 cars with only one headlight, etc. or I play license plate cribbage.