When I’ve done stand in for the night guys starting at 17.00 or so, I usually get to around 02.30 before trouble starts but by then I’m on my way back to the yard. Stop at the services and have a Mars bar and a coke - always worked for me - right as rain again until home time.
I’ve nothing but admiration for the full time night owls, getting through your front door as the kids are off to school.
I can’t do night driving, hold my hands up and say I’m all over the road. Told my boss that in the interview, they said fair enough. 6 months later they put me on it. Nearly wrap the truck around a bridge parapet my first night. So I sent them an email as proof and said if I have a major accident you are going to be held just as responsible as I am. So never been on it again.
I used to go through a hole packet of baby wipes. Wipe my face then stick the baby wipe down my shirt around my neck so it was always uncomfortable if I started to nod. Some nights when I got back to Bellshill I’d have 40-50 baby wipes down my shirt and around my neck.
■■■■■■■ nightmare. Respect to guys that do night distance but it’s not for me at all.
I spent many years night driving in the UK. I started doing night trunks at Swifts, I was quite young and fit back then, I would work all night without stopping for a nap. Years later I was doing a night trunk for Fed Ex running Crick to Exeter change over, I would stop at a service rea for 45 minutes sleep and relied on a fellow Fed Ex driver waking me up.
When I started driving trucks over here on my first transport company the job involved starting any time after midnight and I would try to make the first stop long before they opened and rely on them to wake me up. This job I have now really messes me up some weeks, some Sunday’s I find myself starting about 9.00 pm, as tonight I have to start at 10.00 pm, deliver to Ben & Jerry’s, then run down to NYC to take 10 hours off, my dispatcher said “You can be in NYC by 9.00am yes ?”
“No, I am not running all night without any rest, I will be in NYC about noon” He didn’t like it but I am not killing myself for anyone, 2 hours in the sleeper is allowed by law and I am dam well going to take them. I no doubt will be working day’s by Thursday.
Red bull and sports mix
You get used to it. I’m normally on the late ones so I start about 7pm. Biggest thing I found was that I lost my appetite for a few weeks after I changed over. It comes back though.
Routine, as has been mentioned. I’m pretty quick at flipping my internal clock but it can take a few days for me to settle into night work if I’ve had some time away from it.
Doesn’t sound like you’re trying to find ways to keep yourself awake at the wheel, i’ve told others, you can drink and eat all the coffee, energy drinks and sugary sweets you like but there really is no substitute for sleep. Even if you manage one bad night on sugar and caffeine it’ll catch up with you soon enough.
One other thing I’ve found helpful as a glasses/spectacle wearer is anti glare lenses. Never bothered with it before, just had transitions for sunlight but the first set i got with it added made such a difference at night with headlight/streetlight glare making my eyes tired. Almost like having a light window tint or pair of shades on. Stopped me squinting a lot anyway.
I do wish the human body had a way of banking sleep, would make things much easier!
If you feel so tired that you are taking action to stay awake then you need to pull over and sleep.
Anything from 5 to 30 mins will do.
Nothing else will work.
I know that is easier said than done,
however if you don’t get some sleep you will nod off.
Then what?
21 years of shift work and there is no pattern to when tiredness may hit you.
Don’t drink energy drinks, the crash is terrible and its full of crap thats bad for you.
Feel tired stop , pretend your checking your trailer when nobody looking do some star jumps and mc hammer moves , that done stand towards todays cold wind and take in for 5 mins that done go in to servces and shoplift some redbull or pay £2 its up to you but nicking it gets adrennallin going and they aint robbing you 
. Good luck and welcome to the dark side .
But seriously a 15 and a 30 min break outside in this climate will be sufficiant to wake you up .
I work permanent nights and I think it’s just something you get used to.
On a break I try and keep my mind active by reading or doing a crossword or failing that, as others have said, just stand outside in the fresh air…I never get on the bunk, that would make me feel worse.
Similar to Winseer I don’t drink coffee at work either and I also carry Lucozade and chocolate. Sipping and nibbling regularly seems to stave off the tiredness and I never seem to have a problem.
Once at home I never go straight to bed either which really irritates the wife for some reason (although me breathing has the same effect as well). I can’t get it through to her that if you work days you don’t go straight to bed when you get in at tea time so why should I. We also need time to relax so my routine is a nice hot shower, a nice cup of Earl Grey tea and catch up on tv for about an hour whilst I unwind. Go to bed about 0600 and up at 1300 without fail and without even setting the alarm. I’ve then got the rest of the day to potter about. Leave for work at 1800 ready for my shift at 1900…and so it all begins again 
God, reading that back makes my life sound so mundane 
I find it harder at weekends when the wife wants to go to bed at 2200 when I’m wide awake!
woody2808:
I find it harder at weekends when the wife wants to go to bed at 2200 when I’m wide awake!
2200? On a weekend?
You ever considered she might not be wanting to sleep?
The-Snowman:
woody2808:
I find it harder at weekends when the wife wants to go to bed at 2200 when I’m wide awake!2200? On a weekend?
You ever considered she might not be wanting to sleep?
Trust me snowman, sleeping’s all she’s interested in 
fodentanker:
If you feel so tired that you are taking action to stay awake then you need to pull over and sleep.Anything from 5 to 30 mins will do.
Nothing else will work.
I know that is easier said than done,
however if you don’t get some sleep you will nod off.Then what?
21 years of shift work and there is no pattern to when tiredness may hit you.
Agreed, some nights I struggle, so it’s in the services, 5/10 minute power nap, walk around in the cold, then good for another hour,
If I am still struggling, stop again,
Not worth fighting it, I’ll always argue - better back 20 mins late than not back in one piece,
I’m naturally a night man, so I rarely feel tired through the night. But on the odd times I feel my eyes beginning to droop, I know it sounds silly, but I engage cruise control for a few minutes and move my legs up and down fast as if I’m running in my seat - if you can picture it. It gets the old blood moving about and always wakes me up. I often wind both windows fully down while doing it. Alternatively, I stop in a layby or services, and simply walk around my lorry, or up and down the trailer for a few minutes. The quick bursts physical activity work wonders for me.
I find setting the cab ‘heater’ to a cool/cold setting and positioning the air flow vents so it blows straight at my face keeps me much more alert - this together with a heated seat is the perfect combination for me.
ezydriver:
I’m naturally a night man, so I rarely feel tired through the night. But on the odd times I feel my eyes beginning to droop, I know it sounds silly, but I engage cruise control for a few minutes and move my legs up and down fast as if I’m running in my seat - if you can picture it. It gets the old blood moving about and always wakes me up. I often wind both windows fully down while doing it. Alternatively, I stop in a layby or services, and simply walk around my lorry, or up and down the trailer for a few minutes. The quick bursts physical activity work wonders for me.
Last time I did that I lost all my paperwork out of the passenger window
MilitantGraham:
I’m currently half way through covering for a night driver who’s off for two weeks.
Start at 6pm. Two round trips; one of 50 minutes each way, the other 1:15 each way. With all the time spent loading, unloading, queuing and trailer swaps, I finish about 4am - 5am.
I’m naturally an early morning person, I have no trouble getting up for work at 3am. I’ve always struggled with late nights though.
I’ve tried sleeping as soon as I get in and having the afternoon as free time, or staying awake when I get home, then sleeping in the afternoon. It doesn’t make any difference.
A flask of coffee helps. I don’t normally drink it, so I probably get more benefit than someone who drinks it regularly and has built up a resistance would.
Getting out of the cab and doing press ups in a layby at 3am helps as well.I’m not in danger of nodding off at the wheel, it’s not like I’m regularly getting woken up by the rumble strips, I could just do with some tips to make it easier.
I don’t know if this makes sense but don’t let your brain tell you that you SHOULD be tired.
I never think about how much sleep I’ve had/not had during the day and after a year on nights I’ve never felt like I could do with a kip - even whilst waiting to be loaded.
I would never go back on days.
Also, you could keep occupied by counting how many times Janice Long manages to slip the word ‘■■■■■’ into her show during the week.
I did nights for a bit.
I was fine with it Mon-Fri, used to get in at about 6.30am then in bed for 8/9 and sleep through till 4pm. It was when the weekend came I had problems, I know another poster said you shouldn’t try & flip back to days, but who wants to be in bed all day Sat & Sun when everybody else is up and about? I tried doing stuff like having short naps, but it just isn’t natural and I felt like a total zombie all weekend.
