SHYTOT:
Non stop to Australia and there’s blokes on here that cant or wont drive a truck for 4.5 hours without a break
Where is the autopilot button on trucks?
dave docwra:
SHYTOT:
Non stop to Australia and there’s blokes on here that cant or wont drive a truck for 4.5 hours without a breakWhere is the autopilot button on trucks?
It’s coming - although many on here don’t believe it.
SHYTOT:
Non stop to Australia and there’s blokes on here that cant or wont drive a truck for 4.5 hours without a break
Yes 17 hour flight so 2 hours longer than one man can be required to be on duty (sign on/of) in road haulage. Not quite true because the captain will be required to submit a flight plan etc before boarding.
Four pilots and rest/sleeping facilities.
be suprised if any proper sleep was had onboard. same as in coaches where theres a coffin bed set next to the engine for the second driver to climb into but in reality he chooses to sleep upright on a seat
autopilot button is the only button missing from trucks now,
all drivers say to me nowadays is their as easy as driving cars
some should try driving a 30 ton tipper with no power steering
or air brakes no air assisted clutch
double clutch does not mean it has two
Carryfast:
cav551:
I am surprised to hear that trains run non stop London/ Glasgow and even more surprised that the drivers’ union has tolerated such rostas, I can only assume that there must have been a considerable financial incentive offered. I guess that drivers must pee in bottle while on the move or alternatively restrict their liquid intake. Doing the latter risks headaches, dizziness and more seriously drowsiness.The unions representing the bus drivers in London have been campaigning for a long time about the lack of toilet facilities for drivers at various route termini and the length of duty period before a compulsory break needs to be taken.
The link between intestinal/urinary complaints and driving for long periods was identified in the 1930s.
Blimey ignorance must be bliss in my case.
5 nights per week for years driving continuously for well over 3 hours at a stretch in each direction and often closer to 4 hours and sometimes more than 4 hours.All that with no medical problems directly resulting from it unless you want to count gall stones needing gall bladder removal and spinal problems which medical opinion is has more to do with heavy manual labour combined with a medical pre disposition to degenrative spinal problems.Although look on the bright side a gall bladder problem also actually killed by Grand Mother and she never drove anything anywhere.
Realistically the excuse of a truck driver not being able to hack a 4 + hour drive before taking a break wouldn’t even be a reasonable excuse for a claim for unemployment benefit,let alone running into stationary traffic ahead for lack of concentration over that time scale.
I was though also surprised that train drivers don’t actually seem to be expected to drive over that type of period.
The trick is “not to drink so much bloody tea and coffee” of course. If you know that you’re not gonna be able to take a ■■■■ for the next 3-4 hours - then bigger fool anyone who thinks they should tank up on the kind of beverages that go straight through one… 
Winseer:
Carryfast:
Realistically the excuse of a truck driver not being able to hack a 4 + hour drive before taking a break wouldn’t even be a reasonable excuse for a claim for unemployment benefit,let alone running into stationary traffic ahead for lack of concentration over that time scale.I was though also surprised that train drivers don’t actually seem to be expected to drive over that type of period.
The trick is “not to drink so much bloody tea and coffee” of course. If you know that you’re not gonna be able to take a ■■■■ for the next 3-4 hours - then bigger fool anyone who thinks they should tank up on the kind of beverages that go straight through one…
Ironically I’ve never liked tea much and can take or leave coffee.However there’s a big difference between not being expected to stop for a 15 or a 30 during a 4 hour run v not stopping for a toilet break if it’s needed.Which surely even at best still provides truck drivers with an advantage over long haul train drivers for example.Although in my case I generally found it no problem running non stop between depots with my normal preferred fluid intake of water at home and usually a can of cola and some digestive biscuits during my 1 hour mid shift break between outward and return runs.
While I found that type of regime to be similar but actually far less controlled to working in a factory in that regard.In which we’d ditched our 15 minute canteen breaks mornings and afternoons,because they wrecked production schedules with just the usual 1 hour off for lunch midday.Bearing in mind that I was also well used to the idea of toilet breaks also being a case of only if really necessary and on the understanding that you’d need to tell the guvnor and that the time spent away from your work station would routinely be monitored and subject to question,as part of that.Usually to the point where it was less aggro and no real problem to usually just wait until dinner time.
On that note UK trunking is obviously a relatively more controlled,often time sensitive work environment,than general haulage etc,in that regard.But I found it a far less demanding regime than working in a factory and easily doable and no problem for me personally at least.
Lack of fluids will increase yawning and fatigue.
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I like Coffee, and drink it every day. I don’t drink it before I go on a long drive though. With Tea, I won’t drink it on the same day I’m driving, essentially making it “for days off only” like my alchohol intake.
Sugar-Free soft drinks work just as well with me, thus suggesting that it’s not the “Sugar Rush” argument that applies with stuff like “Monster” or “Red Bull” etc. Sugar-Free Lucozade or Coke Zero does fine.
As the post above says - “Fluids” keep you from yawning your head off, rather than drinks containing some kind of sugar rush.
My low-sugar time of the day - happens to be around 9am, so I want to be home and in bed by that point, even on night shift.
Bugger those palletliner duties I used to do on agency - never again!
Winseer:
I like Coffee, and drink it every day. I don’t drink it before I go on a long drive though. With Tea, I won’t drink it on the same day I’m driving, essentially making it “for days off only” like my alchohol intake.Sugar-Free soft drinks work just as well with me, thus suggesting that it’s not the “Sugar Rush” argument that applies with stuff like “Monster” or “Red Bull” etc. Sugar-Free Lucozade or Coke Zero does fine.
As the post above says - “Fluids” keep you from yawning your head off, rather than drinks containing some kind of sugar rush.
My low-sugar time of the day - happens to be around 9am, so I want to be home and in bed by that point, even on night shift.
I’d guess there can be too much emphasis put on the amount of driving time as opposed to a decent daily rest period.While as I said trying to reduce driving periods into smaller sections by putting in unnecessary breaks just compromises the latter by increasing the overall length of a shift.
As for the return run of a night trunk running into silly times like 9 am in our case at least that would have wrecked the operation because it would have left not enough time to trans ship the load across to the multi drop fleet and for the day drivers to get it all delivered.The usual regime for me was that 6 am was considered as bleedin late back even after the introduction of limiters and with the multi drop fleet usually needing to be loaded and out of the yard by 7 am.While traffic could on some occasions mean getting in at 7 am in which case be prepared for the Spanish inquisition from the guvnors and the warehouse staff going into panic mode and the delayed day drivers moaning like zb.While 8 am + was usually the result of more severe delays for whatever reason which by default also meant getting caught in the worst of the really bad morning traffic running back.In which case that also meant a good chance of running out of driving time.While if I did get back late like after 6 am that also meant a nightmare commute home through the traffic.However I usually started later the following shift in that case on the basis as above that it’s all about getting enough decent unbroken sleep by not compromising on daily rest and luckily the firm agreeing with that.
In which case I’d stand by the idea that if there is a problem it’s not one of driving up to the maximum hours.It’s all about getting enough quality sleep between shifts in the form of maximising daily rest time between shifts and night trunk drivers not then trying to burn the candle at both ends by trying to make use of their day time off when they should be sleeping.
On that note the EU minimums regarding daily rest are a joke and should be treated as such and the idea of extending overall shift time,by putting in loads of unnecessary breaks during a shift,to needlessly reduce continuous driving times,when drivers shouldn’t have a problem with around 4 hours at the wheel,just adds to that potential issue.