Better Than Hijacking

So instead of hijacking a current post or posts I should say. I as a wana be I guess you call it have yet again another question. I have seen multiple threads concerning drivers "overlooking" vary important information or noticing vary important situations while driving. My question is is there a way to fight road boardem I really dont know what to call it but after driving for so long do you find your mind leaving you and just driving without thinking about it? Zoned out I guess you could say.?

I cant speak from trucking experiance, but from longer road trips (4-12 hour drives) ive always put talk radio on when i find music isnt really getting the entertainment value anymore. I try to talk to it and have a convo with them. Try to predict the answers tht might be said. Etc.

I think you mean inattentive?Boredom can cause a driver to be inattentive.

I knew many, many years ago that long hours of driving in traffic or open spaces was not boring for me and that I have a natural ability to single-thread focus. The primary reasons I got back into trucking was because I love to drive and I love trucks. Sitting in a traffic jam for three hours bores me, but not driving.

Everyone is different, staying attentive, alert, and focused is critical for your safety and the safety of others. You will learn like we all have that proper rest, using your breaks for relaxation and recreation helps reduce fatigue and inattentiveness while driving. There is no hard fast rule that states you can only take one break. If you need a break after four hours take a quick 10 minutes.

Staying hydrated also helps. Eating smaller, low carb meals also helps me to avoid the after meal fog-head.

For me once I approach my 12th hour of on-duty I need to elevate my vigilance because I begin to get tired. I know because of experience if I should take a short break before finishing my day or shut down altogether and make it back to the DC with fresh eyes.

You gotta know yourself. Learning how your body and mind responds to hours of driving can only come through experience and paying attention to what you are doing.

Have you driven a car for long distances and maintained your focus? As a preliminary test, you might want to give that a try and perform a post-trip, self evaluation. Boost your confidence.

No easy answers for your question. Hopefully others can do better with this than I have...

I'm a better driver when I talk on the phone plus it passes the time. I have several "road buddies"

I have actually takin many long distance road trips I actually used to drive a pickup across the country for work. I had two instances where this actually affected me once was while driving through I believe Nebraska on a road with not many towns however I know where my fault was on this trip I became extremely tired and didn't stop due to trying to meet unrealistic expectations that actually didn't have to be met. It severely scared me when I caught myself falling asleep. I learned on that trip to.not let that happen again. The only other time I had an issue was going through utah with the salt flats on each side I know they have signs warning of this but it was probably one of the most difficult times I had staying awake.

I've only been OTR for two years, but I often drive for hours just looking at the scenery.

I'm over 50 and when I learned to drive a car, I was taught driving was the primary function while behind the wheel. So it became ingrained in me that anything else while driving is a distraction. That may just be me.

If ya get too bored, pull in to a rest area and walk around. Or turn on the CB and say Trump or Obama or even Hillary and I'm sure the bees will start buzzing. You'll hear language that makes even this sailor embarrassed.

Lol I'm sure that subject could get anyone going. I was always taught to keep my eyes moving from my gauges to my mirrors obviously the road traffic etc. My surroundings. Does not include radio or distractions like that.

Road noise will start to make me tired after a few hours, so I absolutely must have some sort of sound to break up the white noise from the tires on the road. I have satellite radio, and audiobooks to break the monotony of road noise.

I've slept with a fan running for decades. I can't sleep if I am hearing voices unless I'm extremely tired. (This is one reason why team driving for me is not doable. I can barely sleep with a radio or TV going, or someone on a phone nearby. Training was Hell.)

Pure static, I can sleep to. The reefer and APU don't bother me a bit. My CPAP doesn't bother me in the slightest either.

If I hear a voice though, *bing*, I'm awake.

CPAP:

Constant Positive Airway Pressure

CPAP is a breathing assist device which is worn over the mouth or nose. It provides nighttime relief for individuals who suffer from Sleep Apnea.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.