Driving Tired

Hmmm... maybe I'm old school, but driving "tired" seems to be part of the sacrifice I make in this profession.

I have very early morning start times, a consistent schedule, and I'm home on a daily basis. As a professional it is my responsibility to at least make an attempt at getting a good night's rest. It gets difficult when I lay down at 17:30 knowing my alarm is going off at 23:45 and the sun is shining brightly outside.

Room darkening blinds, earplugs, and one of those weird eye cover thingys all have helped me adjust. But even after a decent amount of Z's, I seem to get groggy about a half hour before daybreak. Coffee and stopping to stretch and walk around the truck help matters.

A BIG help was a change in diet, weight loss, and a bit of exercise in my off time. That combination definitely increased my energy, but I've been slacking lately and it effects my ability to focus.

I read on here consistently about folks whining about (or refusing to) drive at night. I'm in a time sensitive environment and I have no choice but to get the truck at its destination for the time windows the customer demands.

A 30 minute cat nap during my mandatory break also helps to revive me.

Miscellaneous ramblings on my part, but just some of my thoughts. Thanks for reading.

 

I have very early morning start times, a consistent schedule, and I'm home on a daily basis. As a professional it is my responsibility to at least make an attempt at getting a good night's rest. It gets difficult when I lay down at 17:30 knowing my alarm is going off at 23:45 and the sun is shining brightly outside.

Exactly what he said. I got off at 1640'yesterday and had to be in at 2330 for a 600 yd. pour. We did not clock out unitil we were at 13 hours and 58 minutes. You're point OP?

 

I think there is a difference between driving "tired" and drowsy driving. Drowsy driving, or groggy rather, is where you are literally on the cusp of falling asleep. At that point you should STOP and PULL OVER. Time for a nap. Could be a 20 minute power nap, or it could be falling asleep for an hour or two.

But everyone get's tired. I'm tired right now. Went in at 5am got off at 5pm, humped beverages through parking lots in 102 degree weather. But I'm not groggy. I could get behind the wheel and drive right now and feel totally comfortable doing so.

However, I have been behind the wheel where I was getting groggy. And i pull over and STOP. Power naps work wonders for me. 20-30 minutes later and boom I'm ready to roll again. You gotta do what you gotta do to get the job done.

I had a pusher in the oilfield get pissed off at me one night because I was taking a 20 minute siesta. It's simple. I can either "Waste" thirty minutes of the companies time or I can put their $130k asset into the ditch. I personally prefer the nap.

unloader

 

Good words I agree but I'm one of the ones that doesn't drive all night I stay in shape get my rest eat right but I can't drive between 2am and 6am that's my regular deep sleep cycle and I don't like disturbing it I get my loads to the receiver on time because I make the appointment and it won't include me driving in the middle of the night. I suppose if I wanted to keep to a really frantic schedule I could make a little more money but it's not worth it to me to feel all weirded out.

 

Good job on keeping the appointment times while also maintaining a decent sleep schedule. I guess my big gripe is drivers that complain about no miles/low pay/etc and then making the statement about refusing to drive at night. Sounds like you have your gig figured out and plan well.

I'm home daily and I "bid" my runs and corresponding start times. The customers are expecting my arrival at a specific time, usually 5 or 6 in the morning. If it's a 200 mile drive to the first stop, do the math. I have NO choice but to leave in the middle of the freaking night, lol. Not to mention the fact that I'm obligated to fulfill my bid. Trust me, I'm not complaining because it's worth it every Friday (pay day)!

 

There are many advantages to getting an early start I wish I was a better morning person flatbed hauling steel and lumber many of these places stop loading and receiving at 2.00pm it has bit me in the ### more then once because I dididn't get my ### out of bed. What I like is that it's up to me there is Noone telling me to hurry up and they don't need to I'm not out here for pleasure it's about making money and I get my work done and get home every friday for the weekend off.

 

Well sir, back in the day when the chemicals were better, you could drive 30 hours with a couple toothpicks.