Parrett Trucking

Keeping Alert on Long Drives

Sometimes it can be pretty tough to stay awake when you’ve been driving for so many hours.  As a long-time trucker, people are asking me about this all the time.  They want to know how I do it; drive for hours on end and not fall asleep!  Well, first of all, I guess I am fortunate in the fact that I don’t generally need all that much sleep.  I know that because I compare myself to my wife who seems to always need to sleep.  Me, trucking or not trucking, I am able to carry on with about 4 or 5 hours.  But still, there are some tips I can give those who want to make sure they stay alert on long journeys:
1.     While it’s a good idea to keep your mind stimulated while driving (perhaps listening to an audio book or something), it is also important to stay focused on the road.
2.    Get out the car every once in a while.  You will get to know your body and what it needs.  Some people need to take a break every 2 hours; others every 4-5.  Whatever it is, listen to your body and take a break to stretch.
3.    Find great music.  And sing along to it if you enjoy singing!  This will definitely keep you awake!
4.    Limit phone calls.  It’s not a good idea to spend hours on the phone while driving, even on a hands-free since research has shown this distracts the mind.
Basically everyone is different.  There are no hard and fast rules for what will help you keep alert on the road. Listen to your body and mind and see what you need.  Remember:  even if you feel that stopping so often is going to delay you, there is nothing more important than your safety and the safety of others on the road as you drive.

The People You Meet When You Stop

These days everyone seems so intent on running around like headless chickens.  No one has time to stop and smell the coffee.  There always seems to be so much to do and not enough time to really enjoy any of it.  Ironically with the increase of gadget time-saving devices, people statistically have less time, not more.

But that is probably why I love my job as a truck driver so much.  I actually do take the time to stop and do things others wouldn’t do.  After a six or seven hour driving shift, I usually take a pit stop at one of my local roadside cafes.  You would think that given that I end up at so many of the same places so often, nothing would be new to me.  But in fact quite the opposite is true.  I love the staff there (there are a few regulars that I have gotten to know now and I always end up striking up a really interesting conversation with them), and I usually get talking to one or two truck drivers I’ve never met before.  Or, I might even meet a nice young lady with a kid or two in tow, trying to find a new way of life in some faraway land she’s still seeking out.

The point is, this job gives me not only the opportunity to meet and stop people, but the desire to do so as well.  After spending so many endless hours alone just staring at the road ahead, I’m delighted to look straight into the eyes of someone I would, under other circumstances, never have the chance to meet.