Don't push too hard... heres why

I think these stories make us all think. Thats something we all need to be reminded of at times, we get to comfortable in our jobs and think we can push harder then we really can. I have had that terrible feeling of driving and then not remembering how I arrived there, that is very scary. I am much more careful now, and if I am to tired I dont go to work, or will pull over and take a little nap. Even though I drive a day cab, I will sleep if needed!

thanks for that reminder I just started driving again after having 6 years out of the truck!

FunnyFarm

 

I hate that "blackout" feeling. I also hate how my body feels when I have had too much caffeine and still dead tired.

 

I've done that in the car so many times - suddenly realize I was on autopilot and haven't a clue how I got there - just drove that way so often that, even when I wasn't going there, that's where I'd go. Terrifying!!!

Mike did that a few times - micro sleeps. Never again. He came off OTR after six months and now works for a company that REFUSES to let you drive if:

1. You are out of hours.
2. The weather/roads are dangerous/not driveable;
3. You don't feel you can do it for whatever reason.

And they DON'T give you flack for it!! They want their drivers safe, their freight safe and no problems.

Yup, it's less money but it's well worth it. Sometimes he drives right to the line, within 30 mins, but NEVER EVER over it. I'm glad we went here last - after the other crap companies out there, we realize how hard it is to find one that really gives a darn about its driver's safety!! They're VERY hard to find!!

So glad you all arrived safely, realized how dangerous it was and took steps to ensure it didn't happen again!!

Drive safe!!!!

 

As bad as it is to say--i think all of us have stories like this. I dont recall ever blacking out but I did have a weird story once. Although, I will never forget it. I usually drive a lot at nite for some reason--prolly cuz i stay awake better at nite--i dunno. It was in Kentucky--I pulled over at the TA there I think it was exit 183 or somewhere around there--where theres also 2 pilots at that exit--i forget the number. So its like 11 am and time for my 10 hour break. So i do my usual--park, shower, eat, go to sleep. I had to be in Tennesse by 8 am the next morning--no problem I had plenty of time. So--I wake up and its barely daylight. Im thinking ==oh crap i overslept. I jump up outta the sleeper. I do a qualcomm to tell my dispatcher imma be late. I do my pretrip and logs and get ready to cruise out after i go in for my coffee of course. Well--I head out and As im hauling down 75 im thinking man its getting dark--i sure hope i make it out of kentucky before the storm clouds hit. I look at the clock its like 9. So i keep moving and all of a sudden it hits me--65 miles away. I am still in the same day and its starting to turn nitetime--hence the reason it was getting dark. I never felt so stupid in my life. So not only am i not late--I am driving when i am sposed to be on my 10 hour break! From then on out--i put myself together before haulin arse down the road!

 

LadyTrucker - love your posts but HATE your font COLOR - VERY hard for these old eyes to read. Just an FYI

 

Sorry bout that--I never even though about it! I will go black from now on then !

 

Been there done that. I ran the blizzards this winter in a tow truck. First storm ? 52 hrs straight with mini naps.
Winter of 2013 / 2014 we had a real bad cold snap. Plus snow storms every week for a month that coincided with my one day off a week. I racked up 10,000 miles on my little flatbed in under 4 weeks. Racked up another 5k miles on my wrecker.I think I slept for all of one hr a day for those weeks. The pay was awesome, but #### it took me weeks to regather my bearings. I'm going to be running regional. Hopefully I won't have to run crazy like I did in the wrecker industry. Be safe!

 

i wont give you too much #### i ALMOST (repeat ALMOST) did the same thing once and i wasn't even tired. get off the off ramp drive under the interstate truck stop was off a frontage road. started to turn onto what i thought was the frontage road half way into the turn realized i was turning up the off ramp from the other side of the freeway. was able to make the turn back onto the road from the off ramp without backing up but i sure as hell felt like a idiot.

i met a 4 wheeler who was going the wrong way on the interstate really early one morning. almost needed a new pair of underwear

 

It's stories and accounts like theses, along with numerous viewings of Youtube accidents videos, that help me from making the mistake I did several years ago.
Black out, wake up, and noodles all over the side of the 15 in rural Utah.

When I got back to driving in 2010, that route between Cove Fort and Denver became a regular thing for me.

And yes, even with the daycab now, I still won't hesitate to pull over and doze for a bit when needed.

 

Sometimes you have to. I had worked a 10 hr day once. A customer called as I was walking out the door. They had just bought a custom 20' shipping container and it had to be picked up the next town over and hot shot to Montauk NY by 9 am.
Well after some debate, I had to do it. I was on commission, so we agreed to $1700 to run it. 35% was a nice piece of coin. I went and got it. Ran it to the last rest stop in CT and shut it down. Slept until 5 am, and shot it into Montauk. Unloaded, took another hr nap, and headed home. Hopefully I won't have to do that crap with eobr. But I lived.