Midnight Run... (an Update)

I'm heading out in the AM for my 3rd trip out solo. I finished a few days ago doing the "midnight run" - product just had to be at a customer's at 7AM and with the relay I was 'asked' to do it - well more to it than that- but I agreed. Because I agreed it put me running overnights for the last few days out on my 2nd solo trip. The plus side is finding parking during the middle of the afternoon is easier. The downside is falling asleep around 4-6pm during the 10hr reset. Traffic is much less in the early morning hrs, but a person can get sleepy if not prepared. I really thought Chicago was a breeze at 0430. Heading out for my 3rd time I'm really feeling the challenge of leaving - I didn't know leaving was going to be so hard on me. But I've already completed my 1st month as a solo driver, a person can do anything for a season - I'm going to keep the attitude in check, be safe and I really am looking forward to hearing that turbo kicking in!

Changing the times that you do your 10 sleep thing will get easier. And theres a few tricks to it also. I always ate "comfort food" right before laying down for my sleep time. It put me out like a light. Slack off on the caffeine about 2 hours prior to laying down. Have a book to read, and RELAX...It will get easier as you go. I can sleep anytime, anywhere....unfortunately, 4 hours is about my limit for sleep, so there I am...wide awake...

Yeah, leaving home is really tough on almost everyone. I've never even been married and I don't have any children so I would visit with family and friends on my time off and even then it was really hard to leave.

I'm the same way as Starcar - I can only sleep a few hours at a time. That's why I'm usually up between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m.

I know for the old-time drivers, we used to be able to run a very simple split-log system where you could drive ten hours and split it into two breaks of at least 2 hours at a time. So a lot of us are used to running for a few hours, sleeping a few hours, and then running again. Nowadays with the 14 hour rule you have to take 10 hour breaks so I don't think there's quite as much driving after only a few hours of sleep as their used to be. I think the new system introduces other problems and dangers we didn't have with the old system, but that's a debate for another time.

Truckers definitely learn to sleep on command, basically. When you get the chance to sleep, you take advantage of it because when it's time to go it's time to go - ready or not. So you learn to be ready by sleeping when the opportunity comes.

To this day I always tell people, "I sleep like a truck driver" - meaning I can fall asleep anytime, anywhere at the drop of a dime. I can sleep for pretty much any length of time (could be 10 minutes, could be 4 hours), jump back up, and be ready to go in no time.

Brett, TSB always told me about sleeping across the steering wheel, when you only had an hour or so to sleep, and you didn't wanna over sleep. So being the curious creature I am, I tried it...When I woke up I thought someone had hooked each of my arms to bumpers, and headed east and west..It hurt soooo bad... and then the "arms waking up " thing started. I found out why you would only sleep that way for an hour or so...cuz after that time the Pain started, and depending on how tired you were, was how long you could sleep thru the pain. Needless to say, I only did that deal once....never again. Silly woman....

I never slept in the driver's seat. If I was that worried about over-sleeping I would set an alarm clock. But ya know, the mind has an incredible ability to tell time. 99% of the time if I go to sleep with a time set in my mind for waking up I wake up within 5 minutes of that time and never past it. It's always astounded me and I'd love to take credit for it but I honestly have no idea how it works. I'll lay down and see it's 11:00 and decide I want to be up at 2:30. Sure enough, about 2:28 my eyes pop open and I'm ready to go. I have no explanation for it, but it's always worked for me to the point that for years I didn't even have an alarm clock at all. I could fall asleep for as long as I like - 10 minutes all the way to many hours - and when the time came I woke right up.

I think all animals have this innate sense of time built in. My dog was the same way when it came to chores around the homestead. In the morning at 8:00, again at Noon, and again at 5:00 I'd go make the rounds with the animals and garden. Sure enough, without fail, about 5 minutes before it was time to go my dog would jump up and get all excited. I would give no indication whatsoever that it was time to do chores, but she know almost to the minute. In fact, sometimes I would be distracted and she would jump up to alert me it was time to go. I would think, "Nooooo, it can't be time yet, is it?" Sure enough, it always was.

I guess that ability is like electricity in a way - you don't have to understand the science behind it, you just have to know how to use it.

Brett, I'm the same way. I used to work 4 10's at the depart. of Justice. I had a 30 minute lunch break. I'd go to my car, listen to Paul Harvey, then take a 15 minute "snap nap". I was never late, and I always woke up refreshed and ready to go back to work. And I thought I was the only weird one.. TSB uses a screaming meemie...drives me insane....

Starcar I caught a "nap" on the steering wheel all of one time. Never did it again. I woke up with such a sore neck and arms, and it stuck with me for the rest of the day. I've always been a person to wake up before my alarm clock, so if I need to be up early, it's not a problem. Although there are sometimes even now I'll lay down with all intentions of sleeping for a half hour, and wake up two hours later. Ooops!

I never cared much myself for sleeping. =D I think its over rated.. haha

Steve, I don't care much for the late night runs myself. Just the other night I was scheduled to pick up in klamath falls, OR at Jeld-wen. Pick up at 1700 del at 0700 in Auburn, WA... figured it would be easy, had it set to be near the end of the trip by atleast 3am given me 2-3hrs to nap before delivery... I left our troutdale, OR yard the night before, met up with a friend in redmond, OR blah blah blah, left his place with 4hrs left on clock. it took 2hrs to get to pick so I headed to the TS a mile before the pickup with enough time to complete a 10 and have "fresh" hrs.... got a message after i parked saying load was rescheduled for 0000... well that threw the plans out the window... picked it up at 2330... GPS said it would take 6hrs @65mph, what GPS didn't count for was trucks are limited to 55 in OR plus the hwy closure to get back to the interstate... so the "6hr" drive turned into a 10hr with traffic in Tacoma as well.... was 3hrs late. expect the unexpected.... lol went to sleep by 1200 woke up around 1500 and went back to sleep around 2300.. Had to reset my internal clock. Can't stand driving at night. especially on a 2 lane road like hwy 97/26...

David, us locals call 97 "Antler Alley"...