Rest breaks

Please read the Werner trainer thread first. We have high standards for our trainer stories.

 

I usually take 2 half hour breaks if time permits.

 

The struggle is real brah

 

I am just going leave this here...



If you can fill that in one shot I suggest you change your username to "Mr Ed".

 

It would be tough if your driving team however when solo you take a break when your body is telling you that a rest is needed some freeways have lots of rest stops I-84 and I-80 were very good so as a rule I'd stop at every second one or every 2 hours if i was feeling real tired. The thing is once your 11/14 hr is up that's it for the day.

 

Years ago, a bunch of skateboarders were hanging out party row at the Hook in Baytown. Saturday afternoon. Had the grills going and cases and cases of beer. We were sitting between two stepdecks, enjoying life when one of the drivers of the stepdecks went into his cab and brought out what looked like a half filled piss jug. We're all watching, puzzled. He brings it to his face and sniffs. Everyone stopped talking and just stared. He takes a big ol swig. There's complete silence. He turns around because of the deafening silence and notices the shocked faces.

"It's apple cider!"

'Oh!' Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

 

If your fatigued you park it. Sometimes I try to roll after a ten hour break or rarely I'll book myself that tight and its rough. Even when I was a company driver my usual break was 12 hours. The way I trip plan is 50mph average and 12 hour breaks. Works out to 500 miles per day. Of course most run harder than that, but I've always said it's the second mouse that gets the cheese.

That trainer is going to ride you hard and put you away wet, just tough it and don't drive tired. If you feel you can't keep your eyes open, pull it over. On a hard day I'll use energy drinks and baby wipes. Baby wipes too wash that grease off your face and eye lids. That grease and oil getting into your eyes makes you tired and your eyes heavy. Sometimes you gotta pull it over, get out, walk around. Drink some coffee and roll. But, don't get all caffeinated 2 hours before you have to start your break because you wont get rest and will be even worse off the next day.

Right when you start your break pop some benadryl or advil PM and shut off all the lights and try to sleep. Don't stay up on TTR until you've mastered the art convincing yourself you haven't been on TTR all night.

Bottom line. If your tired. Pull it over. Beyond that, take care of yourself.

 

As has been mentioned, go along with how he wants to run his truck while you are on it, then when you get your truck you can run it how you want. If I came to your house I would expect to follow your rules and not argue with you about not being able to do what I felt was best while I was staying there.

He is clearly focussed on maximizing his income whereas you, for now, are not. The only fault I can lay on the trainer is not realizing that not everyone he trains will want to run as hard as he does. He should be training you to drive, not training you to be like him

If you feel he is asking you to drive tired or illegal, then notify the company and get off his truck. Don't stay on there and argue with him.

 

Well, let me step in here on a few issues.

First. Logs including ELogs are to protect the Driver from being over worked and thus putting the public in danger. The DOT is made up of office workers and they think like office workers. The half hour is for your lunch break. They call it safety break but it came from the idea of lunch.

That brings us to the word SAFETY. Anytime you are told to do something you feel is unsafe, speak up. No one at your company has the right to tell you to do anything you feel is unsafe. It violates Federal Law. If your trainer tells you to keep driving and you feel you need a break, even if that is going to make you late, tell him that you feel it is unsafe to drive. Once you have stated that you are protected by US Law. If you get fired, guess what, you sue and get all your back pay back.

As to peeing, courts have ruled that cutting a hole in the floor board and peeing directing on the highway is illegal. However, peeing in a bottle and dumping it out the window is fine. It just gets all over the side of your tractor. But if you have a tailgater in a convertible, it is a good laugh.

Remember, SAFETY
trumps everything.