Adjusting sleep times

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by IluvCATS, Jun 27, 2017.

  1. IluvCATS

    IluvCATS Road Train Member

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    How do you best do it? Driving days then suddenly driving at night. How do you get the correct amount of sleep needed whenever you are required ? I can't seem to do more than a 2 hour nap when it is 2pm and I have to drive at midnight. This is the hardest hurdle of this career for me.
     
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  3. ZVar

    ZVar Road Train Member

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    Personally I don't. I don't mind moving my shift a few hours a day, but to swing back and forth like that... I'd refuse the load.
    Otherwise just get up, go until you start to get tired (No, not after you've been trying to keep your eyes open for the last hour, but start) and then park and sleep as long as needed.
    I've gotten into it with a dispatcher before, but I refuse to drive sleepy. Every time I stood my ground and refused, I had a load going out close to my normal shift magically appear.
     
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  4. RET423

    RET423 Medium Load Member

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    Yep, I have been saying for years that the hours of service rules do nothing but insure that every other shift you are driving tired.

    I lie on the log book so I can drive until I am tired, then sleep, then drive again. You can be safe or legal but not both if you also want to also be productive.
     
  5. TallJoe

    TallJoe Road Train Member

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    To me the worst time is between 5 am and 7 am, sunrise kills me.
     
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  6. haz-matguru

    haz-matguru Road Train Member

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    It's issuses like this that mmade me leave otr.
     
  7. VIDEODROME

    VIDEODROME Road Train Member

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    What do you do now?
     
  8. Razorwyr

    Razorwyr Road Train Member

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    Depends on how I'm swapping my sleep schedule. I typically ride daylight hours, maybe starting as early as 4 am, but if I HAVE to swap my sleep schedule, in the event of more than a 10 hour break, I force myself to stay up until I need to get 8 hours, then I drink two heavy beers (Guinness in my case) and go to sleep. If im swapping it under a split sleeper, I take only a 3 hour nap just before I need to drive and if needed take a 30 minute nap before I stop for my real sleep.
     
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  9. haz-matguru

    haz-matguru Road Train Member

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    Drive a cmv local or out and back
     
  10. LoudOne

    LoudOne Medium Load Member

    It's very easy.....


    Just don't do it....

    Your zicradium rythym is I into you. Your body will want to sleep between 2am and 5am. You will also feel tired between 2:30pm and 5:30 pm. Afternoon is normally because of lack of food.

    If you can minimise your driving between those early morning hours at the end of a shift you will be less likely to have a fatigue related accident..

    But at the end of the day it's simple.. if your tired. Park. Pull the buttons and goto sleep. Deal with delivery the next day. Because if you crash you won't make it at all...
     
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  11. Hurst

    Hurst Registered Member

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    I have erratic sleep patterns to begin with. So day or night,. it doesnt matter for someone like me.

    Lets say I'm coming off a 34hr reset and need to be up at 6am for a 7:30am pick up 10 minutes away. During the night,.. I will only sleep for 3 - 4 hours and then wake and play a game on my phone or browse the web on my laptop till I am tired again. That might be 1 or 3 hours later. So over the course of the night,. I got anywhere from 4 - 6 hours of actual sleep over several increments.

    No matter how much or little sleep I got,.. I will get up and pick up my load on time. I will then start rolling for my delivery. I'll drive maybe 4 - 6 hours, when my eyes start to get heavy, I Know its time to find somewhere to park and get some sleep. Then I'll nap/sleep anywhere from 2 - 5 hours. Soon as I wake,.. thats it,.. I'm awake. I then start driving again for another 4 - 6 hours. Sometimes I go as long as 8 hours. depends how I feel. I will repeat this process of sleeping and driving until I reach where I need to be before making my delivery.

    This is why the current HOS do not work for me. I need to be on paper logs. I write it up how DOT needs to see it on paper. But I sleep when I am tired. I drive when I am awake. I'm really hoping they expand on the split sleeper berth rules so someone like me can be legal and not hassled over how I sleep and work.

    Personally,.. I envy you guys that can roll for stay awake for 10 - 14 hours straight and do your 10 - 11 hours of driving. I can do it,.. but after about 8 hours,. I am exhausted and extremely tired. Its not safe for me to drive more than 8 hours at a time. I could drive for 10 - 15 hours straight after a good nights rest,.. but I could only do it maybe once a week. I couldnt drive for 10/11 hrs straight every day.

    My sleeping patterns are so screwed up,.. I dont have an AM or PM schedule. So it doesnt really bother me whether I drive at night or during the day. I'll end up doing day and night pretty much all week long.

    Hurst
     
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