Driving without sleep

Everybody reacts differently so all I can do is report how I did this. First it depended on how much actual shuteye I had the prior 24 hours. IF (big IF) I was rested I could go for as much as 20 to 24 hours without sleep and I never felt like I was dangerous to drive. A coffee mug with some hot coffee always got me through. However if I had not got a good rest I knew to never try to pull such a boneheaded move. Also I noticed as I got older I could not do this as easy as I once did. I know it is way too late for the OP but I will advise to go get the load and go as far as you can safely, even take a brief nap if needed. However if you start to see that black dog GET OFF THE ROAD!!

 

ha. you flip that clock and sleep where possible when possible at any time day or night. Maybe a little nap will save you maybe not.

It's not good to be awake all day waiting on a all night haul. If you do not get it there in the morning then... you have a problem. IF you ran all night and hit something sleeping you have a problem.

I say this. Put that on a different driver or give the load away. Driving sleeping is worse than driving drunk. You can hold it off a while using a variety of so called hacks against your body but you WILL go to sleep. (Ive been there more times than I count.) There was a time I could and did go 10 days max. And that is that for a minimum of three days. Ive done 5 day hauls straight through with 4 nights never stopping but the price is about 20 to 30 hours of sleep after among other problems.

Nothing in the truck is worth that. Korea back in the mid 90's was the closest, didnt sleep much that year hauling war material to the ports a while. Sometimes I think Im still catching up on it these days.

Always conserve your "Awake time" match it to the loads you are running. Truckers never always run one clock (Nighttime only etc) we are 24/7) A short nap, a light one and even wilful resting will help.

The biggest and best thing anyone can do is to shut off the technology. The lighting emitted by them is destructive to your ability to sleep.

If you are alone and that load is it.. get a new appointment time and get some sleep and GO when you are rested. That's the safest. The most dangerous time is the three hours before the dawn. As far as I am concerned. I always try to get somewhere before then or get a nap when I have some time to do it.

 

If you’re near West Memphis kick it to 2-3 for the real deal. Then you can drive all night.

 

Where did you run in Korea?

I lived in Incheon 2006-2015. I miss it.

 

I was going to recommend that he drink a couple fifths of cheap vodka but some DOT occifers frown on that sort of thing.

 

I just hope that you don't fall asleep and kill anybody I know. But if all else fails maybe I can get a picture of the wreck and post on here .

 

hammer down

 

Jerry Reed has the answer. And if you don't know who he is, I feel sorry for you.

 

You can definately tell by the responses who was driving before they started really enforcing hos and who was still in grade school/ other career paths. Back then sleep was a very rare commodity, it didn't take long for your body to train itself to sleep on a moments notice at any given opportunity cause it may be 3 days before you got to hit that pillow again for anything longer than a power nap. Napping over the steering wheel was common cause if you actually laid down in a comfortable bed you knew there was no way you would wake back up when you needed to.

 

My father and most of the truck drivers I grew up around called this having diesel in the blood. I am that way more today then I was 15 to 20 years ago. Today I am taking some medications that if I get real still and close my eyes i'm asleep even if it has been and hour after I got up in the morning.