Sleep Issues

It is time I deal with the one issue that has the potential to keep me out of a trucker’s job. And if I don’t let it keep me out, it might end up throwing me out of the seat at some company’s displeasure. The issue is sleep. You folks might have a hard time believing this or some of you might know exactly what I am talking about. I have a condition called Hypersomnia or “Long Sleeper Syndrome” that I have battled with all my life. There is no treatment yet. Stimulants don’t help. Coffee has no effect on me. I drink it for something warm at bedtime. If I am left to sleep without an alarm, I routinely sleep ten hours, maybe twelve. On occasion my body will take 15 hours just ‘cause it likes to sleep. I have gone 18 straight hours as a record. With an alarm, I can do much better and limit myself to about any period I want....unless...my body decides otherwise. It hasn’t happened in quite a while but I have been known to sleep straight through a clock radio alarm for two hours. Did you know that is how long a Sony clock radio will ring before it automatically shuts off? I do. Because I’ve done it. If I run sleep deprived, all bets are off. It is normal for me to go through my days with a mild fatigue. Its normal and I live with it. If I try to get by on 6 hours or less, my concentration starts to fray around the edges. Oh, I also have ADD diagnosed when I was 45 that gives me concentration and memory problems to begin with. If I go full-out, round-the-clock minimum sleep at all times, I don’t know if I can function at all. And there is something about seeing 6AM on my clock radio display that just literally ruins my whole day. Now, I have been driving all my life in my work. It has always been my own vehicle but I have always been very comfortable behind the wheel for hours at a time. I have driven non-stop 800 miles, 14 hours from central PA to SE Iowa. No problem. That particular trip began at 6am too. So I’m wondering where the line is. Just how alert does a truck driver have to be? Just how angry does a company get if you oversleep on occasion? What happens if you get unbearbly, falling-asleep drowsy on a run with a drop deadline and no time to spare? Now the good news about all this is I can fall asleep anytime I need to and a half hour will usually refresh me. The first hurdle I’ll have to clear is my CDL class which runs 6am-4pm Mon-Fri. I’m not sure how well I’ll be able to read and study at the end of each day. What do you think folks? Am I creating trouble for myself that I might not be able to handle? Looking for opinions.

It's unfortunate when some people like yourself have a disability or illness such as yours. I'm sure you have been to many doctors and specialists in the past for some type of cure or management of your illness. If in your shoes my first visit would be to my physician and tell him that I wanted to drive for a living and see what he or she says. The responsibility of operating an 18 wheel vehicle rests on your shoulders and if you cannot operate it without 100% of your attention, more people might be affected by your decision then just yourself. I hope you can find the answers to your questions from some more knowledgeable people on this sight, they really do care. My advice is only to be truly responsible before making a decision on driving. Make sure you are able to drive and do it well. From hearing what experienced drivers write about, there seems to be quite a bit of stress and deadlines that need to be met. It's the way people deal with those situations that separate us.

The other thing that you need to consider is that if you are in an accident and someone gets hurt or worse, it can seriously change or ruin your life. The driver that hit the Tracy Morgan bus is being sued as we speak. Do you think he can pay off any award? The guy is probably out of a driving job for life.

Also think how your mental health would be if you were to kill someone. That will stick with you the rest of your life.

Be responsible with your decision but if you can not truly say you can give it 100% of your attention because of fatigue or otherwise then you need to think this over carefully. 18 hours in a car is nothing compared to back to back 11 hour days. I have driven a u haul for 24 hours but I would not do it again.

I may be barking up the wrong tree with this one, but I wonder if a vibrating alarm clock would be more effective than a standard alarm clock.

The other thing that you need to consider is that if you are in an accident and someone gets hurt or worse, it can seriously change or ruin your life. The driver that hit the Tracy Morgan bus is being sued as we speak. Do you think he can pay off any award? The guy is probably out of a driving job for life.

Also think how your mental health would be if you were to kill someone. That will stick with you the rest of your life.

Be responsible with your decision but if you can not truly say you can give it 100% of your attention because of fatigue or otherwise then you need to think this over carefully. 18 hours in a car is nothing compared to back to back 11 hour days. I have driven a u haul for 24 hours but I would not do it again.

Can you help me picture what I am up against? Two 11-hour days in a row doesn't seem like that big a deal. I've done that delivering pizza. I know every day is different but can you lay out a likely scenario for a week? Can you make one kinda typical and one like "a week from hell"? I'd like to hear that from everybody in the forum. Maybe I'll repost this so it gets seen more outside of this thread.