Adjusting sleep times

Back home 16-18 hour days were normal that also included 14 hours of driving....100-120 hours a week we're not in common but no more than 14 a day of driving. Unless your in western Australia. 17 is legal there.

 

Exactly Hurst, everyone is different and those who will ignore the safety concerns and push too far are not deterred by the hours of service rules so having a one size fits all system is a prescription for accidents or ticket revenue; not safety.

 

I can go 2-3 days doing 11 driving + 2-3 working. It ain't getting no easier that's for sure. Prefer late night, early morning over days, so will generally work myself into that schedule if the load goes long enough(usually not.)

 

It's simple just say no. Tell your dispatcher your not a robot. Switching back and forth is the one of largest causes of fatigued driving.

Stand your ground it won't take long before they get the mesgage that you drive the truck not anyone in the office.
I've had to break many dispatchers and planners over the years ( 27 )

 

When I was in my teens and 20's I never slept much. I was always busy. Working, then partying and chasing tail. 1 - 3 hours of sleep,.. if that. There were many times I went 36 - 48 hours with out sleep.

It didnt seem to really bother me much when I was younger. As long as I kept moving and stayed active, I could forgo sleep.

Now I'm almost 50 and I have trouble staying awake for more than 8 - 10 hours. Not sure if my early lifestyle has had an effect on how I sleep now. What ever the cause,.. I know how I sleep and work now is not considered normal.

Hurst

 

No, it definitely doesnt get any easier,. thats for sure.

Hurst

 

I just sleep at night 11pm to 7am most days. I don't do over night runs pulling a dry van. Most places are closed them crazy hours. Plus with the 10 hours off and working 14 I just drive days. I never like overnight runs.

 

I like running nights. Especially this time of year. Truck runs cooler and it's just nicer. Not near as much traffic. Most scales are closed and I have yet to have a roadside inspection in the dark.

I try my best to hunker down before the sky starts to light up. Which is sometimes tough cuz I got "over the hump" around midnight or so and I'm wide awake the rest of the night.

 

It ain't easy thats for sure and many thousands of Drivers are in the same boat, you've just got to try and sleep even if you don't just resting is still ok

 

Even with a steady night schedule, and 10 years to get used to it, I still only manage about six hours of sleep at night.

Rolling schedules is hard. Until Mr. E and I got the hang of it, we would slide 2 hours a day. We ran short tens trying not to reset. Start my week working at 6pm, and roll backward 2 hours a day until I was pulling at 6am on day six. That sucked out loud. I zonked out once when we finally parked and 24hrs later Mr. E woke me up because he was scared something was wrong. I slept 24hrs straight on that schedule. I think that right there was the last straw.

Keeping a schedule won't make you the most money, it won't make you a dispatcher's hero, but it will get you and your freight where you need to be alive and safe. And I dunno about you guys, but keeping me in one piece is way more important than being a dispatcher's hero any day of the week.