Alert and Awake: Truck Drivers Share Their Fatigue-Fighting Methods
If you have been involved in a truck accident on Houston’s busy roads and highways, odds are good that your accident was related to the truck driver’s fatigue.
With a seemingly endless battle over hours of service regulations, the end result is often the same—truck drivers get behind the wheel tired. While nearly every driver can admit to driving while a bit drowsy, truck drivers are exposed to schedules that leave them devastatingly fatigued. With up to 80,000 pounds of truck and cargo under their control, fatigue can spell serious trouble for the driver and surrounding vehicles.
Adequate Sleep and Regular Breaks Keep Truckers Alert
For seasoned veterans of the road and trucking lifestyle, however, there are many ways to fight off fatigue and stay safe on the road. Below are some of the most common methods that responsible truck drivers employ to keep themselves awake—and keep you safe.
- Getting enough sleep, preferably in their normal sleeping hours, is key. Restorative rest can fuel a driver for a safe day of traversing our nation’s highways.
- If possible, building a schedule around standard sleeping hours is helpful. Trying to stay awake during times that the driver is typically asleep is a challenge, at best.
- Regular breaks to stop, stretch, walk around, and eat can be refreshing and reenergizing. Those trucks you see stopped at rest stops are not just sleeping or eating—they are fueling their brains and energy levels, as well.
- Regular panel scans to ensure that “all systems are go” during a drive can keep the mind focused on the task at hand.
- Most importantly, never sacrifice safety to meet a deadline. If fatigue hits, it is important to pull off the road to rest and recuperate.
While big rigs can be intimidating to share the road with, rest assured that most drivers take their safety (as well as yours) very seriously. Unfortunately, there are always a few bad apples in the bunch that value their on-time record more than their safety record. If you have been hurt by a driver that you suspect was fatigued, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and damages—contact us now to schedule a free consultation and learn more.