It's a Team's Life

Sleep almost ended our Trucking Career

Sleeping was not something we worried about when we became team drivers and purchased our first truck.  What was the big deal either one of us could sleep while the other was driving our pick up.   We had slept in the passenger seat miles and miles over the years without a worry in the world.  What was the big deal?

Our first week of expediting and I was trying to think of ways to sell our truck as I absolutely could not sleep.  I was exhausted, scared, and sick that our grand adventure was failing due to not getting any rest.

What we did not think of was Hours of Service (HOS) and that we could not sleep when we wanted and then drive when wanted.  There was now a schedule that we had to follow and we could not legally drive whenever our partner needed a break.  Being in a new vehicle, new parts of the country, and trying to sleep while laying down, listening as 80,000-pound trucks drove by a few feet from my head, was not letting me go to sleep. 

Luckily a weekend arrived and we both slept for hours and awoke refreshed and ready to go again.  That weekend taught us that when we needed sleep it was time to stop the truck after finishing the load and get the sleep needed. As time passed our truck bed became more familiar than our bed at home.

I bought ear plugs that would mold to my ears to help keep out the road noise.  Rolling around in bed as the truck sped up or slowed down kept me away and I used a pillow against the back wall and slept on my side facing the front of the truck.  Before going to bed I would spray my pillow and sheets with lavender and I would read a bit to calm my mind.  The phone was put away and not looked at until it was time to get up and start my driving shift.    

In time it became easier and easier to sleep and I no longer needed the earplugs or the lavender sheet spray.  I still read before going to bed to help me relax and let my mind settle.  Have patience, know your limits, and let your body tell you when you need to turn down that next load and sleep.

Don’t get discouraged if you have trouble sleeping it will happen.

Bob & Linda Caffee

TeamCaffee

Saint Louis MO

Expediters since January 2005

[email protected]

 

Expediting isn't just trucking, it's a lifestyle;

Expediting isn't just a lifestyle, it's an adventure;

Expediting isn't just an adventure, it's a job;

Expediting isn't just a job, it's a business.