Bunk

If it was it would be impossible for anyone to train a driver however you do raise a valid question i've never really thought about it, i know i slept in the bunk while my trainer drove but i forget whether i was on the top or bottom.

 

I slept on the top bunk with no restraints when I went through training.
I survived.
But I guess this millennial generation needs

 

If I was a trainer no way no how would I allow student to sleep on top bunk while i'm driving.

 

When I trained at swift I crashed on the bottom bunk while he drove.

I noticed in the last few prostars I drove the top bunk had a net tho. So would been legal (stupid) but legal.

 

The last person I heard who slept on the top bunk ended up with a broken arm after they were thrown off the top. I know a lot of companies it is a no-no to sleep on the top bunk while the truck is moving.

 

Can you imagine falling from the top bunk while traveling at a high speed?Of course most trks today are governed below 65 but still it's not smart at all.

 

There are too many things in a truck to hit on the way down, the edges of cabinets wouldn't feel good at all. I know I heard someone else here in the past that posted their trainer would not let them in the bottom bunk either, just plain rude. Just imagine how much fiberglass is in the trucks now also.

 

What goes thru my mind is banging your head on the shifter maybe lose a few teeth or hitting the windshield.

 

So you don't consider 62 as high speed when flying out of the top bunk?

I really doubt the damage would be much more if you were going 75 or 80.
In either case you would at least break some bones, and probably die, in a roll over or head on collision.

But both bunks have restraining webs. If the web is in place the person is at least staying in the bunk.

 

Evidenltly we hit a oil patch and it's a literal gusher.

Most anyone who has done any kind of trucking with two bunks, top and bottom usually has a crash net for both and probably has already been showered by stuff coming off the top bunk in the past.

Company policy is one thing, the Law is something else. We can debate, argue pound the table until the cows come home. But let us agree that yes any human up top in that upper bunk stands to be injured very badly or even killed in a number of interesting ways without a proper crash net. Presumely one approved by DOT and tested for installation in those sleeper tractors.

With that said and a call for understanding, I say this... I have never had anyone up top or slept up top while the rig is moving. Crash net or no. I have however had 4 large bins secured by one inch hawser rope in a certain path way so that whatever happens on the worst of roads or even no road at all out west... those 4 bins stay put. And yes there is a crash net up there also. It's a little bit of a pain to get past the net ya know ordinary living moving about the truck when not asleep. But that net was up.

When she is sitting still and not moving, there is no problem with people sleeping up top. There were times wife and I was up there because that bunk was even a little bit bigger than the one on the bottom believe it or not and the air flow was better up there due to the vent window etc. at one time or another.

For those of you who have never driven two bunk trucks, you don't yet understand the concept of how something can become a projectile thrown off there up high. Enough to break your neck or at least give you a migraine.

One of the hall marks a trainer taught me back in the early 90's was to keep a clean truck. Nothing on the floor and everything stowed so that when you are going into NYC or wherever over really bad roads everything stays put. I believe it is one of the indicators of a professional to have a cab stay put in the worst events.

Now... note that I said nothing about that dashboard. Ive had inches of papers of all kinds piled up there below the windsheild and mounds of smoking in the big ash tray or coffee etc. Up front. Even a cat would sun itself up there on the dash most days so Im not a holy than thou when it comes to a little bit of messy.

I just feel strongly about crash netting and upper bunks and want everyone to understand that it might be a powerful subject but let's not get caught up in a measuring match and forget the basics of why we are talking about this at all.