Teenagers And Sleep Questions

Hi, all!

I’m considering getting into trucking. I’m interested in a company that offers training since I need my CDL-A. I really cannot afford to do a CDL school on my own. I can’t afford to not be paid. Even if I get a grant, I can’t afford to have absolutely no money coming in while I’m in school. The company I’m interested in offers a stipend during school, and then pays more when I get out on the road.

I’ve been unemployed for a few months (other than doing things like DoorDash and Grubhub), and am not having any luck getting any office work in my area. I’m suspecting that it’s because of my age; I’m almost 50. I’m getting desperate for money and am also tired of my $14/hour jobs. They offer no chance of moving up, and I make so little money that I can’t afford a 2 bedroom apartment in my area. Hell, I can’t even afford a 1 bedroom, to tell you the truth. So I’m living with my mom, which is not an ideal situation. It’s getting really old.

I’m interested in trucking because I love road trips, want something challenging, and want to make better money than I’ve been making. I had an uncle who was a trucker, and I loved listening to his stories; I was always fascinated with them. Since it was the 70’s, he let me get on his CB radio. My handle was, get this, “Big Girl.” Lolol! I was a tall kid, and am a tall woman- 6’0”.

Here’s where I’m getting some hesitations, and I’d love to read other women’s stories:

First of all, I’m divorced. I share 50/50 custody of my only kid, a 15-year-old boy. I haven’t talked with my ex yet to get his permission to change up the custody situation because I want to be absolutely sure that I want to do this. My ex-husband is a wonderful father. I couldn’t ask for a better dad, and I thank my lucky stars that I had my son with such a good guy. So I’m not worried about him spending so much time with his dad. What I am worried about is only seeing my son 3-4 times a month. When he’s with me now, we spend much less time doing stuff than when he was younger. He just wants to do his own thing, and it often doesn’t involve me. Typical teenager stuff. After I get done with training, I’m going regional. So I will be working 7-10 days, and home for a day or so. After my year contract is up, I want to find a job that’s 5 days on the road, and weekends home.

Does anyone have, or has had, a similar situation? How did your kid handle being away from his /her mom? How did you handle being away from your kid? Is my kid going to become a woman-hating psychopath if I do this?

My second hesitation is the sleep situation on the road. I have fibromyalgia. I don’t have much pain at all, and if I do have some pain, it’s not bad. I can take a few ibuprofen, and I’m good as gold. What I do have problems with is fatigue. How I handle this is by getting 8.5 to 9 hours of sleep a night. This is a very good way of managing the fatigue, and I can function normally. I can get less sleep for one night, but need to make I up the next night by getting 10-11 hours of sleep.

I’m not terribly worried about the team sleep situation during training. What I am worried about is getting on the road solo. I’ve read up on the drive 11 hours and rest 10 hours rule. Do I have to take exactly 10 hours? Or could I take a 12 hour rest break so I can sleep, take a shower and eat? Could I take an hour break during the 11 hours if I want to take a nap? Honestly, it’s a bit confusing how it works because I read that you can work 14 hours. Huh? Any advice/clarification on this issue would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance, ladies!

Hi and welcome. I dont have time for a full repsonse right now, but here is an article about sleep.... i will write later.

Trucker's Sleep: A Rare Commodity

Thanks! I’ll be looking forward to it!

Hi and welcome. I dont have time for a full repsonse right now, but here is an article about sleep.... i will write later.

Trucker's Sleep: A Rare Commodity