Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not the

[TeamCaffee]

Everyone has there own tips for sleeping while the truck is going down the road but a lot of new people are struggling with this problem.

This was our hardest problem to over come when we started team driving. We have picked up a lot of hints that have worked well for us.

Split the driving shifts in the middle of the night. This really helps if one of you is a night owl and the other is a morning person.

Get a mattress you can sleep on not one that keeps you bouncing. We had a memory foam mattress made for the truck that does not allow you to bounce.

Shut out all sources of light and use ear plugs. This really helps to keep out the road noise and radio noise.

Read a slow moving book.

Don't have any caffeine after about 2:00 in the afternoon.

I love the smell of lavender so I usually spray down the sheets and pillows. This is linen spray I have bought at Bath and Body Works.

We sleep better when the sleeper is cool so we always keep the air conditioning on and during the summer a small fan going.

 

[Moot]

RE: Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not

I run single, so I try and stay out of the sleeper as much as possible while my van is moving. It just seems safer that way. But most of your suggestions work either moving or still. Thanks.

 

[dhalltoyo]

RE: Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not

I particularly like the Exotic Coconut Spray from Bath and Body Works.

Pssstt! Don't tell my wife I am using her stuff.

Absence of light is a huge factor in getting good sleep.

My new van has no rear or side glass.

Ahhhh! Much better for sleeping.

Oh, and insulation not only helps with heating and cooling, but it also stops a lot of the outside noise from getting inside the truck.

 

[terryandrene]

RE: Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not

I find the drone of diesel engines and the faint smell of fuel very comforting, throw in the ambrosial aroma of a bull hauler and I'm in dream heaven.

 

[TeamCaffee]

RE: Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not

It is amazing what hard sleepers we have became since starting this business. When we are parked trucks back in beside us set their brakes, their reefer will come on and off all night and we hear nothing. When you get up in the morning or after a nap it is like waking up in a new world! The neighbors have all moved and you have new ones.

For some reason though when I am sleeping going down the highway at our customary 59 mph the sound of the bigs trucks blowing by us keep me awake. When you think about something that big doing usually 70 mph two foot from your head it keeps you awake! So I need to drown out that noise. One thing that helps me is counting the money we are making with the miles we are rolling. For some reason counting sheep as they jump over the fence just doesnt get it!

 

[cheri1122]

RE: Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not

While I can't fall asleep to the sound of tv or radio, some folks can. A good "white noise" is a fan - nice, monotonous noise, to lull you to sleep.
One thing I think helps, is to fill the bunk with fabrics that feel good, from high thread count sheets, to the microfibers - it just feels nice to get into bed, the same way that nice scents help.
Candles, however, are NOT a good idea - save them for the bubble bath...

 

[ATeam]

RE: Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not

Sleep management was an early challenge for us too. See: "Five Challenges of Expediting" for how we dealt with it.

http://www.expeditersonline.com/artman/publish/article_001719.html

 

[nightcreacher]

RE: Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not

As long as my truk is in motion,I have no trouble sleeping,if my partner stops,I wake right up.If i run off the road he wakes right up,lol.We usually split every 5 hours,shhhh,I use my hos rules.

 

[heel4you]

RE: Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not

Teamcaffee....
Where did you have the memory foam mattress made?
Thanks,
Laura

 

[TeamCaffee]

RE: Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not

We had the mattress made at Verlo in Saint Louis for a little under $800.00 dollars. We picked the top of the line but they have many choices and my understanding is they can make them at any of their stores. We ordered it on one day and they delivered it the next.
TerryandRene' also have had a different type mattress made at a Verlo store that they are very happy with.

 

[pelicn]

RE: Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not

We don't have the memory foam mattress, but we did purchase a memory foam topper that has helped a bunch! Our biggest problem is the stopping and starting sometimes, just the motion from doing that will wake us both up. Rolling down the highway, as long as it's cool and dark, is ok unless of course you're doing the rolling through, OH, PA, KY, AR, or anywhere in the Eastern US. LOL
Thanks for the tip on the smell good stuff for the sheets.....psst...honey? we need to make a shopping stop.:7

 

[grog111]

RE: Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not

Hmmm. Ya know...I had one of those types of mattress at home, but i did'nt care much for it. Maybe it had something to do with my spare tire, but once you lay still for a while you sink in and cant move! I had nightmares that somebody was gonna shove me into a box and ship me off to Taiwan

 

[Rikk]

RE: Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not

Comfort is the biggest issue, the wife and I are to the point now we don't sleep well if the truck is stationary.. The road and engine noise helps out.




Rikk Sullenberger
KG4AAO
D-Unit

 

[greg334]

RE: Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not

I'm with moot on this one.

 

[hptptrucking]

RE: Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not

Thanks for doing this thread. We are new to the expediting and these are some good tips. We haven't been sleeping well at all. We have a memory foam mattress at home so hopefully we can get to NC soon to get it so we can rest better. This is only our 2nd week out and we are starting to look a little rough around the gills. LOL....
We love this business but will love it better when we get that extra padding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND SOME SLEEP!!!!!!!!!! lol....





Teresa & Harvey AKA
Lady Tee & Big Pappa

 

[greg334]

RE: Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not

When you can sleep standing up while all kinds of activity is going on around you, you can sleep anywhere.

 

[Turtle]

RE: Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not

Overstock.com has Serta memory foam toppers on the cheap. Doesn't matter what size you buy, it's the same price. I got the King size, 3" thick, and was able to cut it down to two bunk size mattresses. Most any upholsterer (look in the yellow pages) can make you a mattress using relatively cheap regular foam. Get the upholsterer to make you a mattress using 5 or 6 inches of regular foam, and then use a 2 or 3 inch topper on it. Viola!

You should be able to give the topper to the upholsterer and have them put the regular foam and the memory foam inside the same mattress casing.

My 30x66 mattress cost $250, plus the cost of the memory foam, which was $129 (marked down from $329). At Overstock.com, just do a search on Serta, then click on the thickness you want.

Slow and steady, even in expediting, wins the race - Aesop

 

[are12]

RE: Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not

We have an Innerspace Mobile Mattress that we purchased from JBM Services Inc out of W Chester, OH. The cost was $149.00(that included shipping).

 

[heel4you]

RE: Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not

Arlene and Jim....
Would the Innerspace Mobile Mattress by comparable to the memory foam mattresses or the memory foam mattress pads?
Thanks,
Laura

 

[ATeam]

RE: Sleeping while truck is moving and you are not

Lady Tee & Big Pappa,

It took us at least a month to adjust to the expediting sleep realities. There were times, and there are still times today, where we will go out of service to get a full-night's sleep in a non-moving truck. If you are too tired to drive, virtually every good soul in the business will tell you to not drive. If faced with a choice between a good run and sleeping because you are too tired to drive, the right chioce, and the choice all good expediters will respect and support, is to stop and sleep.

Take time to sleep. Take time to relax. It's OK to take a day or two off between runs if you need time to decompress and recharge. In time, you will find the pace that is right for you and settle into that groove. Give it time, be flexible, and don't be too hard on yourselves.