Getting into tractor trailer driving can be an exciting and rewarding experience. However, one thing many new drivers struggle with, especially on longer hauls, is trucking fatigue. Therefore, it’s important to know how you can keep alert on these long drives…
Trucking Fatigue: Keep Alert
Sleep
It might seem obvious, but sleep is an important part of avoiding trucking fatigue. Not getting enough sleep can have a seriously negative impact on your driving ability. Not only will you feel drained, but your reaction time and awareness will be decreased too. You could even fall asleep as you’re driving!
That’s why you want to make sure you get enough sleep whenever you can. Usually, it’d be good to stop at a hotel where you can spend the night. Still, if that isn’t an option, you can use a truck rest stop to get some sleep at. Just make sure you take proper steps to keep you and your cargo safe.
Diet choices
Your dietary choices can also influence trucking fatigue. What you eat plays a large role in the energy you have, and the kind of sleep you get. For example, too many carbs in your diet can cause you to crash and become very tired. Many truckers also forget to drink plenty of water rather than other drinks such as sodas.
As a result, you should do your best to stick to a healthy and balanced diet. A good way to do this is by preparing and bringing your own food with you. This will not only help you stick to your diet, but it’ll also save you some money in the process!
Exercise
You may not think that exercising will help you beat trucking fatigue. However, it can actually be pretty helpful. Being stuck sitting down in your cab all day can get pretty exhausting and wear you down. That’s why it’s nice to get out and get some exercise.
Just doing some exercise while you’re having a pit stop can really help you ward off fatigue. The nice thing is that you don’t need to do any crazy workouts either. Just some simple, easy exercise will get the job done. Plus, it also comes with other health benefits, including helping to improve your sleep.