How do you not fall asleep?

Getting into an argument on the c.b. helps. "pull over and I'll kick your ***!" lol

 

and the best part is it doesn't require a lot of effort !!

 

Hahaha that's funny.
Well i work 8 to 12 hours a day between two jobs (one in the morning and one at night) so i definitely get sleepy when i am driving home and have scared myself from being so tired.


My grandfather was a truck driver for Lucky's years and years ago and he actually crashed 2 big trucks from falling asleep.
But he was very unhealthy.....
I'm not in the greatest shape...I am about 50lbs overweight and have controlled sleep apnea.

 

No one is forced and if you are then I would look for another company. I plan my trips and no I dont use every hour of every day as You would be up to your 70 hr mark fast. Think about this, you can only drive/work 8.75 hrs a day, 7 days a week without breaking the 70 hr rule. Im a flatbedder and try to offload and then pickup same day if possible, if not then next day and then drive. So obviously my hrs vary. I do get up early but im also to bed early and only driveabout 550 a day avg. I get all the rest that is needed and everything is always on time and safely delivered. When I was a company driver, I always planned trips and drove closer to the 600 mark but always had to have reset time. Dont vary your sleep patterns and get out of the truck and get the blood flowing every now and then. I recommend every 2 1/2 to 3 hrs. Also dont drive with the heat on, you want it cool instead of warm. Listen to music and drink plenty of cold water. Things like the cb can help too.

 

It gets easier after you have driven awhile, but the overnite runs are no fun.

 

Well, as the majority have said: sleep cures tired. Pull over when tired and catch a nap.

That said, part of the problem is boredom. Driving through rolling hills with light traffic is dull and makes you relax too much so you get sleepy. My personal weakness is falling snow. Those falling flakes hypnotize me. My cure is coffee, and xm radio set to stand up comedy. You can't fall asleep (thru boredom at least) if you are laughing your booty off. Or if your a politics hound (like me) listen to a radio program that you disagree with.. you get ticked off and start yelling answers at the radio.

 

YEAH!! That would keep me awake too!

 

There ya go!!That's what I do, problem is then I start beating the dash and bending the steering wheel WHOOPS!

 

jg it's built in to drive long hours, or not. It's half DNA Half training. Some folks can't drive for long periods without being sleepy. Some can drive hundreds of miles without a problem. Most companys give you super tight delivery times, and if your late more than twice, your gone. And Brown, Yea that's about it. Run as hard as you can, Dispatch don't care about Flats, Weather, just their paycheck. Sad but true.

 

Can trucking be done at a leisurely pace?? Or is it always just a massive race?? If it is done as a mad race I would suspect sleep becomes more of a luxury than something that can be counted on. That is something that would bother me.