Late Nights...Energy question

Let's face it, there is no substitute for sleep. My problem has always been coming off a 10 hour break at say 8:00 AM then delivering a load at 10:00 AM. It takes the facility 2 hours to unload. You wait for the beep of the QualCom for your next load and nothing happens for 2 hours. You call dispatch, they say take a 10 hour break. Take a 10 hour break, I just came off a 10 hour break.....do you really think you can get any quality sleep, heck no...or at least I can't. Then at midnight they dispatch you and expect you to run 11 hours through the night and early morning. So now I have been up since 8:00 AM, with no sleep and I'm expected to drive until 11:00 AM the next day, 26 hours of poor sleep condition. This situation is an accident waiting to happen.

I have driven these late hours with no sleep fighting to keep my eyes open and 1 night I scared the "crap" out of myself and vowed never to do it again. I swear my Guardian Angel was in the cab of that truck and saved my "butt."

Now I pull over, send QualCom message advising I need sleep but I always end-up catching "hell" over being safe. I always put in the QualCom message, "Safety Alert." Don't now if this actually helps but I do it anyway.

The first company I worked for I sat down with my dispatcher and tried to explain that I need regular driving hours, whether that would be an early morning start or a late night start. Just try to be consistent so I can be consistent with my sleep pattern. It was responded to with "if you can't do the job maybe you should leave." It's a no win situation. Dispatchers have got to take the above scenario seriously and use common sense when dispatching, that's all I'm asking for, just plain ole' common sense. You simply can not drive with out sleep for 24 hours.

It seems the safety conscious driver always gets the short end of the stick and the drivers willing to take chances get the great loads. I learned my lesson, no more chancing fate. I was just Blessed to get a second chance.

Be Safe Drivers!!!!

 

As Tater said, you need to know your own limits. But to expect a company to be even ABLE to run you regular if you're OTR is absurd. You need a dedicated. Good luck with that. The older I get, the less sleep ability I have, so I emphasize with you about the problem, but how often does it really happen? The thing I'll ask for is power naps. If I can break up a run, I can go 24-7, as long as I can drop off when I need it and go when I wake up. Problem is that the HOS limits the ability to do this, as they put everyone in the same ability bag.
Gov't. intelligence oxymoron again.

 

Unfortunately, that is just an unrealistic expectation with the way trucking is run. Sounds like you'd be much better off with an LTL doing local work, or line haul.

Yeah, the government usually puts the "MORON" in oxymoron in caps. . .

I agree fully that taking naps is a good, safe way to operate. But the way the law is now, all that will do is to totally screw up your HOS.

 

Normally, I drive all night. The only time I struggle is right when the sun is coming up. So, I take a nap to give the sun time to climb into the sky. Then, I am fine.

 

Amen. That used to be my big boondoggle. It felt like the excitement of the night was over and there was a magical weight falling over me, pushing me into the sleeper. 1 or 2 hr. catnap and I'd be bright and bushy again.
Unfortunately I'd also be in traffic.

 

I hate it when naps put me in rush hour

I generally nap when I feel tired. And I haven't pulled an all nighter in a long time, although I prefer driving at night.

I actually crawl into the sleeper for mine. Set the alarm for the maximum amount of time I have availible, and saw logs. Most times I wake up within an hour or 2. And take off.

 

Somebody needs to remove the rose colored glass's on this trade.
Trucking isn't life on Hollywood Blvd with a 9-5 schedule.
I don't care where you come from or what you "used" to do for a living,this is TRUCKING !

Expecting preferential treatment or accommodation is not TRUCKING!
Todays Drivers have it 5 times better then what we had 20 years ago,yet act as if they can just walk in to a new trade and change the world to suit them.

Your pay depends on your performance,you want the big bucks you have to earn them.
You must pay your dues out here,20 years ago it was 3 yrs or better before you could expect to advance.Today its every bit of 5 years,you get 10 years in and you can pretty much write your own ticket out here.

The population does not afford "EQUAL OPPORTUNITY"
not everyone can have a 45cpm/3500 guaranteed ride in a 379 Pete.

Back on track ......
You have 10 HOURS to get all you need to run for 11 hrs
I have everything I would need with in reach of the seat,my door doesn't open for at least 450 miles.
Just because I may like a certain stop along the way doesn't mean I can shut down and go in for a visit,I roll and catch it when it doesn't cost me revenue.
Both ladies and gentlemen need to get acquainted with product known as a ZIP-LOCK Baggie.Gallon size for the ladies and quart size for the gents.A box of 40-50 for under $5.00 is a money making time saver.
That box of 50 bags can save nearly 40 HOURS of lost run time due to pee breaks.
1) Stop in a Pilot is 45 min or better,1)stop with Zip Lock is 10 min from the time you stop till your back up at road speed.
Failing to be respectful on disposal will net you negative results so be SMART and over pack them in a Walmart sack or something and make a discreet disposal at your next stop.

Its all about ADAPTATION(S)

 

I know sometimes this is easier said than done but if you are not rested enough do not take the load or let them know what time you could legally/safely make the load. You do have the right to say you do not feel like you have enough rest (fatigue) to take the load or to deliver it at that time. I would always try suggesting a "new" time to deliver it and see if that works as to losing the load completely. If the company cares about you they will understand you did not get any rest and see what situation you was in. If they don't care enough then you might consider looking else where

What many drivers don't look at is the Hours of service regulations are in play for your benefit as well as the companys. If they didn't have the regulations many drivers would be awake 24 hours and then dispatched on a load. However in the real world you have the option to say I haven't slept in 24 hours because???? !

I do suggest drivers not to use this to your advantage to pick and chose loads because honestly your dipsatcher will know what you are doing which in return might cause you miles. You are an OTR driver and you signed up to driver OTR with no picks and choses (in most companies)..

 

I told the company I was with that the hours would be unagreeable and not rested. They said they did not care when I slept or if fatigued. The load was more important than my health or driver safety in driving.

I had just got out of bed after sleeping on the 10 hour break. It was 9 am. They wanted me to head to the load at 6 pm. Load would be complete by 11 pm. Deliver at 5 am. Then load during the day to deliver by the next morning.

They did not care when the break was as long as the log was legal.

 

I'm marking this to read later. Hard to find any gems in this thread because 90% of the post say the same thing. Here is a trick that works for me. If it is cold out then roll the window down until you start to freeze. I think this works because your body will fight to stay warm naturally. Still the body will need to catch up on the missed sleep.Good truckers I believe know how to deal with driving a different hours.