Being Safe V Getting The Job Done

So I made a run up to Chicago to see a friend, then I'm just going back to Denver to do Wal-Mart dedicated

My original load was supposed to pick up and go straight back to Denver but another driver had an emergency and took it instead to get home, so I was left with his load which delivered in Fostoria, OH

The way the scheduling worked out, the load was already late when I picked it up (it was the load the other driver was on), and I ended up running an overnight shift to get it delivered asap, even tho I had been up since about 7:30am. I left my friend's place around 3pm, got back to my truck around 7pm (mass transit)

So my question is does a scenario like that fall in the vein of "getting the job done" or "being unsafe about doing the job?"

Each person is different. i just did the same, but stopped for a 2 hr nap mid shift. no issues. not everyone can do that.

if you felt that unsafe to drive you should have messaged dispatch. however, with that said it is also your responsibility to make sure you are well rested when you report to work. you were going to expected to drive regardless of the load. and we need to be flexible in trucking. swaps like that happen for many reasons every day.

seriously i have reported back to my truck hours even the night before i was due just to make sure i was rested. so my answer...you should have gotten back to that truck earlier and slept a bit if you were supposed to report at 7pm.

I'll try and get a nap in but I have a hard time crashing sometimes, but that was about what I thought. I'm just trying to find the line between being safe and being reliable

That's a judgment call every driver has to make 1,000 times in their career and there's really no definitive set of rules you can apply to it. If I felt good enough to get started on the trip I would just take it one moment at a time. Sometimes you feel surprisingly good, sometimes you don't get very far. Sometimes a couple of cups of coffee can get you through just fine, other times a bolt of lightning isn't going to keep you awake.

Stopping every couple of hours to take a quick walk inside and freshen up can make a big difference. Perks you right up. Believe it or not, even your thoughts will have a significant impact on how you feel. Get yourself a little fired up for the challenge and you might be just fine.

Just keep in mind that driving tired always means your perceptions and your reactions aren't quite what they should be, no matter how much coffee you drink or how loud you crank the tunes. So you might be able to push through just fine on clear, dry roads with very little traffic but it might be too much to ask in super heavy traffic or on slick roads in a snowstorm.

In the end, trust yourself. If you feel you're pushing too hard, park it and accept the fact that you did your best but it's not going to happen. That's all there is to it, and that's perfectly ok. Being a professional means making the right decision every time and getting the best outcome possible in the circumstances. Sometimes the best thing you can do is park it. In those cases, that's what a professional does.

There just isn't any "V" that can properly be used here.

If it isn't safe, it isn't getting this job done.

So I made a run up to Chicago to see a friend, then I'm just going back to Denver to do Wal-Mart dedicated

My original load was supposed to pick up and go straight back to Denver but another driver had an emergency and took it instead to get home, so I was left with his load which delivered in Fostoria, OH

The way the scheduling worked out, the load was already late when I picked it up (it was the load the other driver was on), and I ended up running an overnight shift to get it delivered asap, even tho I had been up since about 7:30am. I left my friend's place around 3pm, got back to my truck around 7pm (mass transit)

So my question is does a scenario like that fall in the vein of "getting the job done" or "being unsafe about doing the job?"