Sleep deprived drivers

I can't help but wonder if the OP is pulling reefers. I know when I did, my sleep schedule was FUBAR'd. P/U or deliver in the middle of the night one day, then PU or deliver in the middle of the day the next. I did that nonsense for 6 months and then got into dry vans hauling automotive out of Laredo. MUCH easier to get on a fairly regular schedule, provided Pablo brought the trailer across the river when he was supposed to.

 

I understand your point and reference to SS, although it was probably not appropriate in this forum. And you are correct. After having been exposed to the worst of conditions, drivers will fiercely defend the very system that refuses to pay them for their work (milage) to forcing grown men and women to beg or wait to relieve themselves in a bathroom. And everything in between. As long as drivers are USED to desperately compete head to head with each other under the shadows of law enforcement of ridiculous bureaucratic laws, or corporate management drones who will screw anyone over to provide a rung for their ladder to success, or worse yet freight brokers in bedroom slippers who don't have a clue to what your truck or the freight look like....well, you get the picture. It has room for improvement.

 

It's virtually impossible to have any kind of set schedule and humans were meant to sleep when it's dark out.
We have this internal body mechanism called the circadian biological clock.

That is why truck manufacturers place blackout curtains at strategic locations in the cab.

I have my doubts...

Easy problem so solve....do something else. Besides, you forgot something important, Appalachian. That's the human mind. You figure it out, you'll start to have more fun. And when you enjoy your tasks, you minimize the stress-caused list you posted. Or it just goes away. Like the survivors say, relax and enjoy the ride.

 

What... when I go for a long ride on my motorcycle. .. I have to wait to relieve myself.. or when I am at the bar or a concert... waiting in a long line to relieve myself... heck, I was home watching a good movie and had to go but waited till the end of the movie...

Oh, and you know that cashier at the truck stop that you are rude to, the one whos been standi g on their feet all day, well she cant go to the bathroom while she is backed up with dirty, rude, drivers complaing how hard it is to sit and drive all day...

I am a female, I just turned 50 a few weeks ago... I pull flatbed... this in my retirement job... I dont find it as hard as you all seem to... hell, most of my day is spent behind the wheel, eating sunflower seeds or pistachios, listening to my favorite music... how hard is that... heck, even when I get to my stop and need to untarp it is only an hours worth of work at most, to untarp, unstrap, fold and roll the tarp, wind the straps... back when I pulled reefer and van all I had to do was maybe raise or lower the landing gear, open and close the doors...

 

Like people have said trucking isn't for everyone,then you get many that don't give it a chance.It does take getting use to.You learn to adjust to the wackey sleep patterns.Once your day is over you need to get whatever needs to be done then hit the sack,not stay up for a few hrs and watch DVDS or get on the laptop because you'll be dragging the next day and believe me it makes for a real long day.

 

Remember when you had to take only an 8 hr break to be legal. And all the complaining drivers did when they increased it to 10 hrs.

I was so used to that 8 hr schedule, I would be hard pressed to sleep longer than 7 hrs. Still even today I can't sleep past 7 hrs.

 

and i want more time and flexibilité .. where do i fit in
. geez

 

I agree that tired truck drivers are a hazard... but, I do t believe it is the HOS... I believe a lot of it the personal responsibility or lack of a driver...

I think poor health from lack of excersize and a poor diet are more to blame the HOS... I think poor time management and decision making is more to blame than HOS.. drivers sitting in the t.v. room instead of sleeping, or in their truck watcning t.v., phone, laptop, gaming system instead of getting a good rest...

Trucking isnt for everyone and there is no shame if it isnt for you...

What gets my goat is when trucking is for someone so they want the industry to change to suit them... not fair for us drivers who can work a 14 hour day and get the sleep we need... I am one of those that doesnt need a full 10... I am usually up just waiting and chomping at the bit for the 10 hours to be up...

I am lucky... I dont need 8 hours of sleep... and when I sleep I sleep deep and hard....

 

the HOS service are what they are. But it's ultimately up to the individual to make the call of when they're too tired to drive. Sometimes a driver can go for hours at a time without becoming fatigued. Sometimes , even after the prescribed break it only takes an hour or 2 before the sand-man comes calling. After 6 weeks you're just not accustomed to the grind yet. Might not ever be. But it's really not fair to place blame without 1st getting enough time in the industry to be able to completely understand its demanding requirements.