Sleep

Lazlo

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Thinking about this because in a safety meeting this week they told us to make sure we're getting 7-8hrs/night. Almost laughed because that suggestion had to have been made by someone who doesn't have kids or any other responsibility besides work. It's even worse once we change the clocks forward.
I live about 45min from work, typically get up 3-3:30am to slip in the door on time. Earliest I pull in to the garage at night is 5pm. Most nights a little later than that, several years back the loads were lighter and I'd get off early enough to nap if needed...not anymore. Then it's dinner, bath time (3 of my kids still young enough to need help, can't put it all on my wife), mow every so often to keep the HOA off my back, sports/activities for my oldest depending on the time of year, next thing I know it's 9pm or later. My wife works evenings until all are in school so we can avoid daycare so I'm not able to 'cheat' and go to bed early if we have anything going on. Honestly during the summer with the longer days don't know IF I could sleep if I had the time with the sun being up later.
Wish I was one of those people who can function on less but I'm not. The alarm goes off and I'm angry, wishing I could stay in bed. Feel like a zombie. Try to make it up on the weekends but I honestly don't feel 'right', like I'm getting caught up, until about halfway through a week's vacation. Starting to feel like this job, really this industry as a whole, isn't conducive to a healthy lifestyle.
How much sleep do you all get? How do you deal with it?
 
I run transit (shuttle) on a set schedule. I get home around 0230 every morning and hit the rack about 0500. I usually wake up, before my alarm goes off, around 1100. I don't have to be to work until 1430. I function really well on 6 hours of sleep.

When I ran the extra board at FedEx, my schedule was more random. I never got enough sleep and was always tired. That was one of the contributing factors to me leaving FedEx.
 
Just over 3 years ago I left UPS feeders, where I worked nights for a day job. If I was lucky I might get 5-6 hours of "Quality" sleep during the day. I now routinely get 8-10 hours of sleep at night and the older I get the more I appreciate this. Occasionally I miss my old steering wheel holding job. When I remind myself that I very seldom have to use the headlights on my rig now and in 3 years I haven't had to pull over to take a nap, I no longer miss UPS or my night job. I will retire before I ever go back to night work.
 
I work a similar scheduled to Lazlo give or take and I agree with everything he says. I think truthfully I had a better quality of life in the beer distribution business. I started later, got done around the same time I get done now, but I'm starting now 4 hours earlier so all things considered. It's been a bad couple of weeks the past 2 weeks. I don't know if I made a mistake or not... part of me is thinking I may have...(there's other factors there though that I don't care to discuss on this forum)
 
Sometimes you don't know how your going to like something until you get right in the middle of it Mike. I bet you will like it better after you have been there a while and are more comfortable with it. The best thing about life, in my opinion,is that when you try something new and give it a fair shot and it still doesn't work out, you can always try something else.
 
I get 4 hr's a night. Get up at 12:00 am get done about 14:00. Dispatch comes out about 9pm go to bed get up at midnight. A cup of coffee and window down try my best to get woke up. No sleep sucks.
 
I tell you what Sunday night I tend to not sleep well. Do you guys have the same issue?
Friday and Saturday night though I'm usually out like a log ha-ha!
 
I get 4 hr's a night. Get up at 12:00 am get done about 14:00. Dispatch comes out about 9pm go to bed get up at midnight. A cup of coffee and window down try my best to get woke up. No sleep sucks.
4 hours will make an old man out of you quick, I speak from experience! When I first went on nights when 8 hours off was the law, being on-call meant you were often called 6 hours after you punched out, to report at 8 hours. I should have listened to myself the first few weeks and quit 10 years before I did. Your employers dispatch procedure really sucks in my opinion. Have you talked to your safety dept about how unsafe this is to have to stay up until 3 hours before you have to get up to make dispatch? Sometimes you have to make some waves to get change to occur. If you bring your ideas up in the name of "Safety" you might get better results.
 
I've decided I hate working Mondays. Going to bed Sunday at 17-1800, to get up at 2230, is the worst. New bid starts in a few weeks, no more Mondays for me :clapping:

I'm lucky to get 4-5 hours of sleep. I used to grab a 20-30 minute snooze on the four hour ride to my first stop, but now that the gumbment tells me when I need a nap, I drive tired. I don't usually have time to log two breaks. Once I start working, my longest drive between periods of busting ass is less than twenty minutes. Not when I need a nap. In fact, it is about impossible to wind down and get any rest.

The good part is a have a 12-14 hour layover at a quiet hotel :sleeping: No kids, no dogs, no neighbors.
 
Truck guy,
Did I see you in Shaker Heights, on Tuesday. Saw a big McLane truck delivering to some place over near Warnsville Center Road.
 
Nope. I hope I never see Cleveland again, in a truck anyway. There are a few places I would like to visit.
Closest I get is on the toll road.
 
Yeah I'm with you on that, I've had about enough local Cleveland trucking ha-ha my favorite part of the day is when I get to go on the highway for those few short glorious miles back to the yard. That's my favorite part of the day.
 
Even the highways suck.
I'm trying my best to stay out of any big cities these days. Been working out for the last two years now.
 
Working nights is getting really hard for me lately. I have my son full time now and I don't get much sleep. But now I need the money more so I need to run the miles for the money. Yeah it sucks and I hope to go back to days again sometime but the money on linehaul is to good right now. We are bidding soon and it looks like I will have a choice between a 486 mile turn or a 528 mile turn.

If I could make 80k and up and work days I will do it. But trying to find that job is hard. Also no more of those super early mornings like you guys do. I would get 3 hrs of sleep and that would be it and work 14 hrs. Not again will I ever do that
 
I get about 6 hrs a night, after working all day, I always come home in rush hour, eat, shower, wind down, before I know it its time to lay down, I function best on a solid 8 hrs at this stage in life, so come friday night into saturday its not uncommon for me to sleep 14 hrs, its just the wife and I so its not a big deal, especially on the weekends she works.

I sleep like crap on Sunday night, I can't clear my mind.
 
I get about 6 hrs a night, after working all day, I always come home in rush hour, eat, shower, wind down, before I know it its time to lay down, I function best on a solid 8 hrs at this stage in life, so come friday night into saturday its not uncommon for me to sleep 14 hrs, its just the wife and I so its not a big deal, especially on the weekends she works.

I sleep like crap on Sunday night, I can't clear my mind.

I slept alright last night (not always the case though usually GT I'm like you) the alarm went off at 3:30am and it was time to rock n roll. I had an alright day to day at work though I left the yard about 5:00amish or so I don't really know something like that. Got to my second stop about 6:30am backed up to the dock there and unloaded 2 pallets worth of Beef Tenderloin and other things. I think the bill was $17,000 or something like that. Then rocked to the next stop I was back at the yard by noon. Think I got home quarter after one.
 
Wow, I haven't seen 1300, or even 1430 at the yard in as long as I can remember 9.9999 times out of 10 I drive home in rushour traffic, no matter what time I start! Today I started on time for once, 0500, my 2nd stop didn't show till 0900, my third till 0800, left my first stop at 0645 and went to the 3rd, waited a half an hour, got to my 2nd and waited another half an hour, I hate waiting on customers to show up, I really do!

Punched out at 1610, haven't been back that early in a long time..lol! I'm no slouch, its just the way my routes are, it didn't start out like that but it has sure ended up that way.

Its a living, thats about it.
 
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