Wanting some advice, have some questions

You're basing your assumptions on his choice of how he spends his downtime? Really? I will hazard gaming is no more addictive than viewing pornography or chronic masturbation or any number of things. But to assume this person will be a danger to you or anyone else based.on his affinity for gaming is coming from your personal prejudices and not anything else of any substance....I base this on your remark that the Walmart driver could have been gaming. Sure....and he could have been picking his nose all night, too...or stargazing or hunting for four-leaf clovers.

 

How much time would they take to trip plan honestly? Idk about others but it really didnt take me long. Probably the longest was right before I started my new trip to figure out my route, how many hrs I should use, etc and each day after that it would probably be just a small adjustments when comparing actuals.. Its not rocket science at all. Its even easier now than what it was like 7+ years ago. They have gps who can figure the exact or closes to it miles on the route they take aand qualcoms and elogs to figure out hrs for them, and even apps to keep track of which highways they take and how many miles on which ever highways so they dont have to remember it.. Im not saying its so easy even a caveman can do the job but its not as hard as alot are putting it. So what if he/she might think about a moment of call of duty while driving every once in a while. . . Everyone thinks about something in all honesty. Phone call with family members etc, btooth or not your full attention is not on the road. That water you drink while driving same thing...

 

My trip planning is to punch in the addresses on my Garmin 760 LMT. I then like to make sure my drinks and snacks are within easy reach. Then I check to see if I have taken my pills. Then is time to check and see if the bladder is empty. Next are my headsets plugged in with a new battery? Are my tablet, cell phone, and bose speakers securely velcoed to the dash. Now it is time to start the truck and go. You have to make sure that you take about 15 minutes for all this as it is a proper pretrip.

Seriously, I have a television in the back of the sleeper. I have a laptop set up for gaming. I have yet to play a game or watch any television other then when I am parked in my driveway. There just isn't time that I need to waste. My 2 hours awake on my 10 hours off is spent doing stuff like showering, laundry, eating and restocking the refrigerator. Plus there are all those lovely ladies who need my attention.

I like to sleep. If I had a choice between sleeping and playing a computer game, sleep would win. But not everyone is like I am. If you wish to be a gamer, go for it. Most of my generation would consider that a real waste of time. But my Grandfather felt that going to a movie was a total waste of time.

Just remember, anything that puts you, your cargo, or the general public in danger needs to be put aside without delay.

Welcome to trucking.

 

Yes, actually I did, then I read the edited version, and after that I read through the entire thread before responding to your assumptive post.

Well lookie there...my assumption was right! I was starting to worry that maybe you drove for K-Mart and used that avatar as a dodge!

There you go either assuming again or taking in the sound track from Wal Mart Safety using exaggerated statistics to prove their case. What would you guess the percentage of drivers that don't sleep away their 10 hours are grossly fatigued after only 6-8 hours of rest?

Only time driving trucks can count for a persons previous history with regard to fatigue? So all my years of firefighting wouldn't count for a track record of safety for me or those that have a similar background...military, pilots, civilians who work two 8 hour jobs, just to cite a few...who have been driving 4 wheelers and have no accidents or traffic issues? That "history" doesn't qualify with you? I mentioned my years in firefighting because we worked a 24 on/24 off rotation. Many shifts were so busy, we would get maybe an hour rest before the next call came in, back to quarters and repeat. Yeah when my shift ended I was dead tired and went home and still only "slept" for 6-8 hours so I had time with family when they got home from school. but I made sure I was rested and ready for the next shift! Why is truck driving so effectively complicated to you that you feel everyone "requires" 10 hours of sleep? And BTW...Wal Mart USED TO BE one of the safest driving jobs out there, not any more, your fleets are filled with highway game playing fools especially on the I-5 corridor. Hold speed to 57-58, then when a truck comes along side to pass, they speed up to equal speed and block out the pass creating problems for other motorists. (just my rant about Wally and his little world!)

No, I didn't attack anything the OP stated, I didn't assume that he was looking into a profession that wouldn't be suited to his "gaming lifestyle". You made those assumptions all by yourself. Maybe you have a child that is addicted to gaming, or a "kinfolk" addicted to it...you definitely have an issue with it!

 

All truckers are overweight slobs who never take showers or brush their teeth, have a string of lot lizards in an out of their truck, pop pills to stay awake and cause all of the accidents on the roads. Now.. before anyone gets bent out of shape, of course I don't believe that. But, that is the stereotype we live with as professional drivers. Assuming that anyone who plays video games will be slamming energy drinks, gaming most of their break away and driving unsafely because they are exhausted is no different. If the question had been about where he could find a good book to read, because he loved to read, no one would of thought twice about it.

To the walmart driver who spends most of his off time at home.. it's easy for you to judge. I stay on the road 3-4 months at a time. If you think I'm only going to eat, sleep, drive my way through that.. you're wrong.

I've been driving trucks a long time, about half otr and half local in the oilfield. I've played online games while otr probably 5 of those years and have a spotless record with over 2 million miles.

The key is, as it is with any off duty activity, to maintain your priorities. The job comes first. Truck maintenance, route planning, adequate rest, on time delivery and pickup, proper hygiene, all taken care of before ANY hobby or entertainment. Do I get to game every day? Absolutely not. I also don't sleep 8-10 hrs a day. Before trucking I was in the Army in a combat mos. My body has been conditioned to function on less sleep than is considered normal. If i try to sleep more than 7 hrs, my body physically hurts, and I find myself needing a nap half way through the day. My point is, not everyone is wired the same.

I love my job, and more than that, I enjoy it. I'm a happy truck driver. But it's because I have a good balance between work, and my time.

 

Not all of us have our teeth anymore. As you know sex rots your teeth.

 

Ya mean great backpedaling........

 

I am not a trucker but I am working towards becoming one. I am a gamer though and I try to take the laptop with me when I travel. I have a rooted HTC DNA that I connect through. If you are playing competitively (fast placed FPS for example) you need a low latency connection. 3g can provide the speed, but the latency can be/ is the problem. Same with 4g in my experience. Sometimes the connection just isn't good enough, other times its alright. Never as good as my cable connection at home though even with full 4g. I suspect a truck stop with several people using the wifi at once will also be a latency issue, although I cannot speak from experience about that.

The other issue that was brought up by someone is power requirements. I either plug my phone into the laptop via USB and the laptop into the wall to operate, or I can operate completely wirelessly. If I operate wirelessly (BT from cell to laptop), my phones battery gets run down pretty quickly, and the laptops battery drops FAST. I can play roughly 30min, after that, the battery gets low and throttles back proc./ graphics and FPS drops terribly. Within 45 minutes battery is completely dead. I would not buy anything less spec-wise as to what I have now as it barely keeps up between low-high settings depending on game. You really need to be plugged in to get the best experience. Plus you need a rigid mousing surface as the finger pad on the laptop will not cut it (unless your game of choice is angry birds).

Laptop specs:
QX2630 i7 processor
GTX570m
17.3" 1080p display
SSD
Logitech G5 mouse

Last issue is, for me atleast, gaming on the laptop just isn't comfortable. My hands are in the wrong place (one up on the keyboard right in front of the screen and one usually down low beside me for mousing) and I quickly realize I play much better at home.

Since you are a gamer, check out Euro Truck Simulator. I just started playing it myself. I would guess it is the closet thing to truck driving besides actually getting out there on the road.