Sleep? How much do newbee's get while OTR?

TexaSean,

MONEY isn't worth me or you killing someone else s family on the highway! How would you feel if someone like me was driving down the road and you fell asleep at the wheel and killed me, my wife and my two little daughters because you needed money? I'll be honest my folks are rich I lived a good life for a while BUT I remember when they were living in a 400 sq foot shack on the bad side of town.
I've seen both sides of the track. Money doesn't buy you happiness just stupid trivial toys that you can't take with you. True happiness comes from family and having enough time to spend with them. Meaning I'm going to do a year on the road then somehow get a dedicated route even if it means less money. I'm driving for a year with no rent to pay just a car payment to put a down payment on land to build a small cabin on. Not a big $500,000 house like my folks have but a small cabin for 4 people with not much else. I don't know what else to say except money is not worth taking someones life!

IF you don't know that then you need to re examine your moral compass!

Thanks outter

 

After 14 hours of on duty , of which no more than 11 can be driving you cannot drive until you have had 10 hours off duty or a total 10 consecutive split between sleeper /off duty . You can split the sleeper time between an 8 hour and 2 hour break but the 2 hours will be on the clock . It's simpler just to take the 10 .

 

So I can drive 11 off clock 10 and than drive another 11?

 

Yes , if the freight and scheduling allow it . Many aren't finding that happening now though . Once the 14 hour clock starts only a 10 hour break or 8 hour sleeper will stop it . If you start at 6 a.m. you must stop by 8 p.m. . If you spend 2 hours unloading then 2 more waiting for dispatch to find a load , that's 4 hours . Pretrip and fueling could take at least another 1/2 hour . So 14 hours minus 4 1/2 = 9 1/2 hours available to drive . Then you'll be required to do a post trip before starting to log off duty .

 

Here is how it can look in the news.

And then in this article his POV and commercial driving records are mixed together to make it look really bad.
http://www.wesh.com/news/6474562/detail.html

 

Thanks I figure I was providing an example found in a perfect world.Your example makes it a lot clearer in my head.I have not started school yet but I wanted to learn all I can before hand.

 

I remember hearing about this one.

 

When I was driving otr, if I was really tired, I would park and get in the sleeper, and sleep!
However, if I wanted to take a shower (or really needed to, pu) it was usually during my 8 hour break. And, you can't just run in every truck stop and get right in a shower. Most of the time, you have to wait. Took me 2 hours to get a shower at a T/A one time.
So, if I was under a 'just-in-time' load, it was either get really good sleep and be a little ripe, or get 6 hours and be fresh as a daisy.
But, I usually had a good dispatcher that kept me rolling good, but still allowed me some decent personal time.

 

We have to log 100% legal, and I need 7 hours of sleep a night. I bought melatonin the other week, it works great for putting me to sleep in the afternoon when I get a night load.

 

Good point. I drive at night and take a 3mg melatonin when I get home to make sure I stay on schedule. From everything I have read it is healthy and inexpensive.