Getting used to operating at night...any advice for downtime routine and sleep?

Hi bgs, I can say without hesitation, sleep has been the hardest thing to deal with as a truck driver. Maybe not so much anymore with current HOS rules, but back in the day, you ran until you couldn't stay awake anymore, and shut it down. I rarely used an alarm,(unless I literally HAD to be somewhere), but would sleep until I would wake up naturally. For me, it was easier to say I was going to be late, than to tell the company I crashed or killed someone. I too was a coffee guy, but sometimes, even coffee wouldn't do it. I was a daycab guy for many years, and had some scary rides, and tried sleeping over the steering wheel, which was awful. It wasn't until I got my own trucks that had sleepers, that I could finally stretch out and relax. That's why to this day, I'll never drive a day cab again. Be careful with energy drinks. I tried that for a while, and my fingers on my left hand went numb, until I stopped using them. Read the label, there's like 8,000 % of a daily dose of B-12, and I think the "rush" is your body trying to deal with that. Dawn was always the worst time for me, and if I could make it to sunrise, I was good for the whole next day, but that night, I had to sleep. I heard you never make up for lost sleep, and it takes it's toll after a while, and I still wake up at midnight or 1 am, even now that I'm not trucking. Good luck. Oh, one more thing, night driving? Make sure you have good, properly adjusted headlights. ( not fogged over plastic ones)That strain of not being able to see 20 feet past your bumper was/is a killer.

 

The only way I could do it was to keep the same sleep routine on my nights off. I would stay up all night and not go to bed before sunrise. I lived alone at the time which made that a bit easier and I could all the usual indoor "day" stuff at night such as cleaning house, laundry, cooking meals. I still woke up in the afternoon which gave me time to do things that had to be done in the day.

Trying to flip flop day and night sleeping is a struggle as I deal with that now where I work. Two 12 hour days, then two 12 hour nights means it is absolutely impossible to get a steady sleep routine going even after nearly 10 years.

 

In 2002 when my driving job with Frito Lay was soon coming to an end, due to plant closure, I took a job with UPS driving Feeders at night. I had always worked days before this but I thought I would learn to like nights. I never did like or get use to nights but I tried. I put "room darkening blinds" up in the bedroom with curtains over that to keep light from coming in the sides of the blinds. This made the bedroom almost pitch black during the day. We have central air but I still put a window unit in the bedroom for the costant noise. This blocked out the noise from garbage trucks and other things nearby. These things helped, but I still never slept as good during the day as I did at night. I also would take 2 30 minute naps sometime during my shift which helped more than anything. I finally decided after nearly 10 years of nights with no day shift in sight to find a day job elsewhere. I hope you get used to it and can sleep good, listen to your body as it will tell you when to pull that rig over and take a nap before you kill someone. We have all been there at one point or another!

 

Chewing stuff physically forces blood into your brain.

Gum ice...whatever.
Do it.

I usually start around 8 at the time I log.
Get it done by 6.
Then pick up a load.
Then take off by 8 again.
(Optimally)

Stay up 34 hrs constantly by choice all in the name of refusing to drive with day time fools.

 

I had a co-driver once when I ran team who used to drink a gallon of water every night. He drove straight through his shift without stopping to hit the restroom. (This was before the dumb mandatory 30 min. break thing.) I asked him what the deal was and he told me when he has to pee so bad it hurts, he won't fall asleep. Not my idea of fun, but I figure since I was sleeping in the back, whatever keeps the driver awake and me alive, is fine with me.

 

Like someone else said, (sorry), get those soft ear plugs. Man, that made all the difference in getting some good sleep. Be careful though, they cut out out so much noise, your truck could be burning down, and you'd never hear the sirens. Matter of fact, I bet I could make money at motels selling those ear plugs. People are so rude at motels.

 

I put aluminium foil in windows to block out light while I day slept. I also stayed on the night schedule. Don't go to sleep right after you get home, stay up for an hour if you can. It will help you not be dead tired at the end of your shift. At least there is less traffic at night.

 

Start trying to get your schedule adjusted 3-4 days before you start, it will be easier and you'll get better at it over time. Also, make sure to make your sleeping area as dark as possible, it will help you trick your mind into thinking it's "night time".