Posted: 9 years, 6 months ago
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Thank you, Driver and J-Fresh, for your helpful suggestions. Much appreciated!!
Posted: 9 years, 6 months ago
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Thank you Mikki, Rolling Thunder, and Chris M. for all the helpful replies! Very much appreciated! The concept of doing things to keep the mind occupied sounds like a winner.
Posted: 9 years, 6 months ago
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Hi folks,
This question has probably already been addressed, so my apologies for being late to the party.
Please tell me: what are good ways to keep awake while driving? I have heard the same concept expressed in different ways: zoning out, spacing out, highway hypnosis, etc. I remember reading something on mindfulness while driving: the article made suggestions such as tying a piece of string to the steering wheel - things like that to bring the driver's focus back to the hear and now. (I would say that this issue is different than being tired - which is easily fixed by pulling over and taking a nap).
Thanks for any and all ideas.
Posted: 10 years, 6 months ago
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Nationwide trucking shutdown Oct 11-13 ??
Folks, I wanted to provide an update on this situation. It seems that the truck driver strike (or roll on Washington) seems to have gained some traction, and has some folks worried. It seems that Facebook tried to take down their page.
http://repubx.com/post/2013/09/22/UPDATE-ON-THE-TRUCKER-STRIKE!.aspx
Note there is an internet radio show on the subject, and assorted other links, on that page.
I agree with those who believe that a driver "slowdown" might be the more possible outcome. But I thought I should present this article for what it's worth.
Posted: 10 years, 6 months ago
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Nationwide trucking shutdown Oct 11-13 ??
Thanks to everyone for weighing in on this question. Just because bikers did it last week, doesn't mean truckers can do it next month.
Posted: 10 years, 6 months ago
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Nationwide trucking shutdown Oct 11-13 ??
Folks, I just ran across this article, which discusses a nationwide trucking shutdown from October 11-13.
http://www.activistpost.com/2013/09/convoy-to-dc-truckers-to-shut-down.html
Here is another article on the subject:
http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/09/1-million-truckers-protest-barack-obama-shutting-america-3-days-october/
Here is a Facebook page on the subject:
https://www.facebook.com/truckerstoshutdownamerica
For those out on the road at this time, a serious subject to consider.
Posted: 10 years, 6 months ago
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The prescription medication you're on has to be reported. They'll have to know what you're taking and why because it will show up in a drug test. You also have to make sure that the prescription you're taking is approved for commercial driving. You can ask any doctor that gives DOT physicals if it would be approved or not. If not, you'll have to have your doctor switch you to something else.
I'm just going to throw this out there - there's a lot of pressure in trucking and you'll often find yourself holding up a lot of angry people while you're trying to maneuver that rig. You have to be able to ignore it. You'll be backing in off of busy streets, pulling wide around corners in busy intersections, and doing all kinds of other stuff that's going to bring a lot of attention to you.
I have a book that's free to read online called Becoming A Truck Driver: The Raw Truth About Truck Driving and it has a lot of stories in there from my time on the road. Some of them are about times when I had no choice but to have part of an interstate closed down to get out of a predicament or the police had to close down all of the streets around City Hall in downtown Phoenix so I could get backed in - things like that. Have a look through my book and you'll see how much pressure there can be in trucking. I just wanted you to be aware of that.
Thank you, Brett. I have my own share of anxiety issues, as well. The bad side, as you pointed out, is that many drivers will get ticked off at the trucker. Plus, the anxiety of making difficult backing maneuvers, and the like. The good side of trucking is that the driver is by himself - not like being in an office where he may experience dozens of uncomfortable or unpleasant face-to-face interactions every day. That's what got me out of the office and into trucking.
Posted: 10 years, 7 months ago
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Truckers Tablet Computer with GPS
Guy is correct, a standalone GPS device is more reliable, and less squirelly than an app-based Android device (especially the ones that eat data!).
I saw this page on dieselboss.com, which compares three dedicated truck GPS devices:
http://www.dieselboss.com/truck_gps_review_features.htm
Posted: 10 years, 7 months ago
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Truckers Tablet Computer with GPS
Thanks, Joe S. You're right, 512 MB of RAM is skimpy.
This might be a different solution: Here's a trucking GPS app for Android tablets:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teletype.smarttruckroute&hl=en
It says that the cost is from 7 cents per day, which isn't bad. The average review was 4.2 out of 5, which is pretty good. This app can be installed on one of the better tablets (like the Google Nexus 7), which should deliver good results.
Posted: 9 years, 6 months ago
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Staying awake while driving
Thanks very much, Guy!