chicane:
Doing agency my shifts all involve some night work but start times can be all over the place, don’t think I’ve ever had more than 3 successive shifts the same. First shift is fun, second is OK, third is a struggle, by the end of the fourth I never want to see a truck again and half way through the fifth I’m pretty cranky. Think it would be OK if you were doing a regular trunk and could get into a pattern.
Agree traffic conditions are usually better, but there’s no-one to ask directions at 4am and there is ALWAYS time pressure
Thank [zb] for pro-plus
As you say I think it’s the changing patterns that screw you up if you started every night at 8 it ain’t to bad. But constant changes that may be legal tacho wise you can end up out of synch easily
Kev! My wall is around 4am! Still the same after 5 years on nights! When I was tramping it was time for a power nap! When I did a couple of weeks on days a few months ago I have to admit it was better for daily rest overnight! But mate! The traffic and level of crazy driving everywhere in England was an eye opener!
chicane:
Doing agency my shifts all involve some night work but start times can be all over the place, don’t think I’ve ever had more than 3 successive shifts the same. First shift is fun, second is OK, third is a struggle, by the end of the fourth I never want to see a truck again and half way through the fifth I’m pretty cranky. Think it would be OK if you were doing a regular trunk and could get into a pattern.
Agree traffic conditions are usually better, but there’s no-one to ask directions at 4am and there is ALWAYS time pressure
Thank [zb] for pro-plus
As you say I think it’s the changing patterns that screw you up if you started every night at 8 it ain’t to bad. But constant changes that may be legal tacho wise you can end up out of synch easily
i’m a irish trucker who drives in the uk. most is night driving which i love. some time i do have to drive during the day in the uk. its a nightmare, traffic jams all over the place.slow moving traffic for no reason, uk’s worst drivers are out in numbers. caravan driving in the middle lane, VOSA check points. now in saying all that there is not a hope that i would drive for a living in ireland. ■■■■■ over here think that a motorway is a tourist attraction.no one hears uses the inside lane, they think the in side lane is for lorrys.farmer think its ok to graze glass to the side of the lorry and pack there jeeps on the side of the road.
Agreed with the sunrise part,then feel not so good,must the body clock thing.Not sure how these long haul pilots cross time zones,i saw a Quantas fly over me,and thought by the time i get home to bed,how far will the plane had got.
brushstroke:
done nights for 8 yrs , far more relaxing than days ,
less traffic though theirs always going to be some fool around,
and guess schrodingers cat would have seen as many if not more accident in the daytime as he has done at night
I most certainly did see more crashes during the day, and thats the point you can see them a mile off. Compare that to a car thats bounced off the centre barrier slid across the motorway smashed against the nearside barrier and bounced halfway out into lane 1 sideways. All the lights are gone and there you are tootling along at 54 mph and suddenly out of the darkness looms that wreck.
Thats why you can’t afford to relax too much and also why I use main beam as much as possible.
neilf:
It takes a while to get in tune with working nights but once you get in the groove you won’t want to return to days.
I work nights with a lot in n around London and I can cross the capital in less than an hour most nights…
Only problems are the mad motorway closures where they don’t bother signing the diversions and trying to flip back to days when home with the family.
Cheers
Neilf
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
been doing nights for 2 years in london and have to agree bout motorway closures they do yoru head in.
i enjoy nights and you certainly see some strange and some nice sights in london
Not to mention when they close it and no signs till you hit Ross had that happen a few times
Or worse - don’t close it and you still go round (M4 - M5 over the bridge).
They shut M4 J48 - 49 this week and closed the Hendy to Pontabraham road. The detour was through Lanelli, Llanon and Tumble. Not good with a double decker - LOTS of firewood left in the road
Not to mention when they close it and no signs till you hit Ross had that happen a few times
Or worse - don’t close it and you still go round (M4 - M5 over the bridge).
They shut M4 J48 - 49 this week and closed the Hendy to Pontabraham road. The detour was through Lanelli, Llanon and Tumble. Not good with a double decker - LOTS of firewood left in the road
They could at least post a decent diversion they tend to forget other work still needs to be done at night
kr79:
I’ve not done a lot of night driving but I always found the time just as the sun rises the worst I just couldn’t keep my eyes open.
I know what you mean.
My shifts rarely take me a far as sunrise, even in the summer, but I did an emergency run to Edinburgh from bracknell the other week and with the trailer not ready until gone 8pm as I hit the M8 the sun was just making an appearance. I was going well up til that point but needed a quick shot of caffeine from harts hill, sorry heart of Scotland services to get me through the final hour.
Did night work for 15 years, I have now been on days for 7 years. Talk at our place of night runs coming up next year
and if our transport manager doesn’t put me on it, i’ll kill him !!
p.s. did i mention i hate working days?
and there is ALWAYS time pressure
, far more relaxing than days ,
