Working under the Stars

Oh man they need to get going on those self-driving trucks so you guys can go back to tailgating pallets and signing stacks of BOL's lol

 

Keep the coffee tank full! Get out and walk around occasionally. I enjoy listening to audiobooks when I’m driving at night. Never was really on a set schedule, sometimes I roll out at 5:00 AM, other times it might be 9:00 PM, the nice part is, I can sleep about anytime… I did a gig for a while where I worked a full time job and drove for a friend of mine at night. Made good money, but after a full day of work, then hopping in the truck and knowing you have 650 miles to make before 8 when you need to be back at work, it gets tiring. That was very rarely a back to back run, most I ever ran in a week was 3. Looking back on that, I think my guardian angel was holding my hand on the wheel sometimes. My wife would call before she went to bed, and that would usually keep me awake for a while after she hung up. I also found nibbling on some kind of salty snack to help if I got drowsy. You will learn to love driving at night over the day. Keep caffeine of some sort with you. I am NOT sensitive to caffeine, likely because I am a 6-10 cup of coffee a day guy, but I’ve heard of some people who can’t sleep if they have coffee 5-6 hours before they go to bed. Tend to think that is pretty rare, but not sure! Only problem with coffee is that it can lead to more pit stops….

 

Personally I wouldn’t use melatonin, it makes me feel groggy when I wake up. That might just be me tho. I do my best to maintain proper sleep schedule of 8-10 hours, I use a eye mask to help sleep during the day, buttchug a monster or similar source of caffeine upon waking, make sure to eat breakfast and at least a snack during shift, and I keep the windows cracked / ac running. On the few occasions I get too tired, I’m not afraid to pull it over for a nap.

 

Oh one last thing you could do is find a trucking buddy or 2 who can talk your ears off, use them as a last resort before napping LOL

 

Ear plugs. I'm a light sleeper, and ear plugs saved the day,,,or night for me.

 

This advice right here helped me more than anything when I ran nights. I had a former co-worker (amazing storyteller) who was well known to be lying if his lips were moving, but he kept me awake many a night God Rest his soul. The 30-60 minute naps helped me also.

 

I know this psychopath who is hardcore into nerdy stuff. I can call this dude and he’ll explain different board games or video games for hours lmao. Kinda wack but if I’m tired then it’s just interactive radio for me to stay up to.

 

Whatever it takes to stay awake and make the night pass quicker.

 

Art Bell used to keep me up at night, , was way down on the am dial, like 540?