Night driving .... AAHHHHHH!

Like the OP I just can't run through the night into the morning, if I start out around 2 P.M. I can run into the night but not till Sun Up. Just Saying....

 

I used to run at night a lot before they came up with the 14 hour rule and it's lack of flexibility. If I got tired, I would pull over and take a 3 hour nap (often times in the afternoon, then I was good til 0300 or so ).
This is what worked for me, but it's hard to fit it all in a 14 hour window. And that's why I hate the 14 hour rule.

 

Vampire Truckers. Immortal, can drive forever, but they all fade when the sun starts to rise. Usually, if I am loaded, I have an oversized and cant run at night. If I am empty, I am driving through the night.

There are several factors that IMPO contribute to driver fatigue for the Midnight Rider Clan.

1. Lots of us burn the candles at both ends. You wind up having a sleep deficit. You gotta put some miles down overnight, so you go to sleep in the afternoon, and start rolling at 10 pm. 3 hours later, you're a zombie. How can this be if you just woke up 3 hours? It's the deficit you picked up days before. Wanna be able to run with the Vampires? Sleep when you are supposed to be sleep. Power down the phone, turn the TV and the video games off and catch some ZZzzzs.

2. No straining. Someone mentioned eye strain from headlights...there's glasses for that. Keeping your truck centered in the lane. Maintaining a constant speed. When you become tired, you have difficulty keeping your truck in the lane and running a constant speed. Use the cruise control! It will ease that mental strain. Some of you guys might not want to hear this, but a hood is worlds easier to drive for long periods, because the hood acts like a rifle and makes it worlds easier to keep your truck where you want it in the lane, be it center or fog line (OSOW guys).

 

You are NOT the 1st. truck driver that I have come across to dislike or outright hate the 14 hour rule. I realize that it FORCES truck drivers to take their 10 hour breaks to keep them from NOT getting enough sleep.

I also see that it totally ruins a truck drivers ability to be flexible, not only with their own schedules to meet a deadline, but being FORCED to stay at shipping and receiving plants for ENORMOUS amounts of time, often withut detention pay.

God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!

 

I have found if I have to suffer through a night drive I become an unbearable jerk.

I like running 4-5 a.m. until 3-4 p.m.

I make it known that me driving at night = an increase in out of route miles. Frankly, there are several U.S. highways, and rural roads that I won't even go near at night. For that matter there are a few stretches of interstate that I don't like to drive on at night.

 

I can drive at any time. My FM and dispatchers trust that I can handle anything now so they give me extremely long runs all across the US and back again because they know I will get it done no matter if I have to drive from 10PM to 11AM or vice versa. My favorite time to drive is noon to midnight now though.

 

I love that shift... I usually get the 11pm -8am shift... but I love getting like 3-3am.

 

I drive nights & my wife drives during the day. I had trouble at first but here are some things that I found helps:

1. Plenty of Sleep - This is most important & no energy drink in the world can replace this !

2. Eating Right - Food is our fuel. Put in the right kind so your body's engine is working properly.

3. Dim Lights - Leave only the essential things on

4. Snacks - Keep snacks within arms reach

5. Get Out of the Truck - I can't stress this enough. Stop for 5 mins just to get out of the truck & walk around.

 

Another thing, I used to find that the red lights on the floor would keep me awake, my trainer thought I was nuts and said he would miss waking up to my red lights... but turns out there is some science behind it. I just read something that said red light helps keep you from getting depressed... but white lights hurt... and blue light can give you the blues! They actually hooked people up to machines to see how their bodies reacted to light...

Kinda cool... I just kept the floor board lights red... and I kinda liked being able to see outlines instead of a totally black interior... makes my depth perception better...

 

Same age as the one posting. When I drive has little effect on my feeling of being rested, it all depends on my sleep prior to running. 5-6 hours is sufficient, 7-8 is ideal. I'll run nights, days, afternoons, or mornings, it all depends on the delivery schedule.

I would say the one that tends to see me more tired (or slower to wake) is early morning, as others have mentioned, but, with sufficient sleep I'm fine.

On longer distance stuff I tens to prefer driving at night. Less traffic and closed scales.