Need Advice on Urgent situation, scheduling situation.

I may be the odd man out here, but I drive according to how I feel which is subject to change from day today. 99.9% percent of all my loads I delivered during my over the road days, I had plenty of time to run like I needed to and still be earlier than what was expected out of me. I may get up in the morning, fill my coffee cup and shut the door for my full 11, other days I may drive an hour then stop for a nap, or stop for several coffee breaks in a day. I would just get my book legal when I shut down or when I needed too, not driving over hours, but may be over the 14. That is the reason I will not ever even attempt to play the eld game.

 

You can do a split break. You can split the 10 hour break into 8/2 or 2/8. 8 hours sleeper and 2 hours off-duty/sleeper to get a 10. You can drive for a while, take 8 hours sleeper, drive some more, (within your 14) and then take 2 hours off and get a 10 minus what you drove between the 8 and 2. If that makes sense.

You could drive for 7 hours, take 8 in the sleeper, and you would have 4 hours left to drive. 8 in the sleeper will pause the 14 (not including on-duty for fuel or whatever). So you drive for four hours and then you need to take the other 2 hours off-duty to complete the 10. You will get hours back from taking a 10 minus what you used between the split (between the 8 sleeper, and the 2) 11-4=7 hours left to drive after you took the final 2 hour break.

You kinda have to plan for it. Plan your trip for an 8 hour stop in between and it will allow you to roll at least 8 hours earlier. Just have to figure out if 7 hours of drive time is sufficent or a preceding 10 after is going to jive with the schedule. if it isn't, then it's not your problem. only so much you can do legally...

 

I worked that crazy-### 7-day off swing shift schedule at the steel mill I used to work at 20+ years ago. That 1 day off AND a shift change was a #####.

 

Yep. That guy had his "15 minutes of fame". IIRC he got on one of the morning TV shows to whine about his experience.

IMHO he was a newbie prima Donna. My next post will explain.

 

I lost the "Dig deep, get lunch" Abe meme. Anyone remember?

It would have made a great billboard.

 

Sleep deprivation is a serious matter.

In the '50's and early '60's, in response to so many of our men in uniform "breaking" under interrogation in WWII and the Korean War, psychologists starting conducting sleep deprivation experiments. In the early '60's the APA (American Psychological Association) banned sleep deprivation experiments, especially those that prevented REM sleep. REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement, the period of sleep when you dream.

The reason for the SDE ban was because subjects started experiencing severe psychotic disorders. However, that didn't prevent the military, with help from a few ethically challenged psychologists, from carrying on research. That eventually blew up into the torture scandals of the war on terrorism.

Now...

...all THAT being said...

...there is GREAT news for truck drivers or any workers doing odd schedules.

Here are some helpful FACTS about sleep:

1. Sleep comes in 90 minute cycles.

2. During each 90 minute cycle you,go through four stages of sleep, from light sleep, to heavy sleep (couldn't wake you up if the bed is on fire), to dream (REM) sleep, to light sleep. EVERY 90 MINUTES YOU CYCLE THROUGH ALL SLEEP STATES.

3. That 90 minute cycle is based on a biorythm. You don't control it, it controls you. Work WITH it and you will be fine.

4. If you MISS the opportunity to sleep WHEN YOU ARE SLEEPY, you will need to wait another 90 minutes (another biorythm sleep cycle) for the NEXT opportunity to sleep. Ever started nodding off in the 4tb quarter of a football game, stay up, watch the end, THEN go to bed and toss and turn for hours? You missed the 90 minute cycle to sleep. You are far better off waiting for the next biorythm "sleep wave" to hit you before going to bed.

5. When you "catch the wave", be serious about it. Lights out. Screens off. Sleep is your business.

My avatar is a picture of Elvis Presley's ring. It has diamonds with the letters "TCB" (Taking Care of Business). When I get a call from my truck driving brother, or vice versa, and we answer the phone and say, "I'm TCB"...that's shorthand for "I'm sleeping, I'm hanging up".

If I have 14 or more hours before I need to work again, I TCB. I take a nap of 1.5 to 3 hours to start the break. Then I get up and have a meal, or shower, or do laundry...THEN when I start getting sleepy again I SLEEP some more.

If I am really struggling to stay awake and need to really recharge my "biobatteries" I pull over and take a 90 minute nap, a complete sleep cycle, including REM (dreaming). Then I am completely refreshed. Hopefully the absolute idiocy of the 14 hour click will soon be modified (the FMCSA has indicated that this might change).

Don't be afraid of the sleep boogeyman. Work WITH your 90 minute cycles. So WHAT if you don't get 8 solid hours of sleep. As long as you are getting one to six complete sleep cycles you will be rested, alert, and able to function.

 

Keep the curtains closed or get some black out curtains .. Stay off the phone and tv , and lay in bed and ur body will think its night time if its dark... If i need to get to sleep and change schedules i find me a nice peterbilt with a cat engine on high idle to park next to and them things sing me to sleep, .. But yeah its tought changing sleep schedules but u do this job long enough u get used to it... If ya not afraid of a little work come over to flatbed, most our pickups and deliveries is between normal business hours so it helps u get more in a routine.. Me i like to start my day at midnight and shutdown around 10am or 11 depending what im doing, but like i said flatbed we have more of a routine than dry vans or reefers, if u like drivin a truck no reason to get out of the industry , maybe find something that suits a schedule u prefer, sometimes its very difficult i have the same problem switching schedules

 

this is a good thread for lawyers representing victims involved in truck accidents.

 

"customer needs come first", what comes first is the safety of my family

 

Drivers are so use to doing whatever it took to get the load their on time. That how people think. I was told get the load delivered no matter what or your fired. Today ELD stop that. One thing the ELDs can't stop is the trick Abe was showing in his video. The sleep 10 then get up then being told sleep again take another 10 off and be ready to drive all night. Lots of driver still think get the job done first.

Today it's run legal first. Then if you can get the job done that's great. Unless someone is really a night owl, driving all night is not easy job.