What’s your routine during your 45 or when on a bay? Me personally I always prefer to be in the cab during tipping (fridge trl, zero driver interaction) and manage to get a sleep at work virtually every day. As most will know reefer work is pretty easy and there’s always time to spare. I could never see myself sitting reading a book or something. Every chance I get I’m on the bunk or feet up on the dash. Some days I can get more sleep at work than a normal person gets during the night lol. More often than not it’s trays/dollies/cages I carry so takes much longer than 26 pallets. I must stress I don’t go to work overly tired, I just love my sleep and don’t have to be anywhere near tired to get some shut eye if I put my mind to it. Anyway the more I sleep at work the more awake I am at home so can stay up later etc. Just today I done a 6 1/2 hour shift and slept an hour of that away.
Sorry if reading this makes the multidrop drivers a bit green with envy lol
Sometimes you see certain customers on your trip sheet and you think ah i can get a bit of shut eye there, but i always wake up like a burst baw even more tired.
Ive been sleeping a lot recently i think im suffering from that s.a.d condition where i miss the sun
i used to get lots of sleep when i did distribution work but now i’m carting steel around on flats it doesn’t happen so much. when i’m loading up, i need to supervise to make sure it’s on right. when i’m unloading, there’s a risk that the crane/forklift driver may have a senior moment and stick the steel through the back of the cab!!!. on the plus side, there’s no rush with steel and not many timed deliveries so pulling over for a break (or two!) isn’t usually a problem
Steve-o:
Just today I done a 6 1/2 hour shift and slept an hour of that away
I had as nearly as much break during my shift today as you did shift!
13 hour shift with a continuous period of just over 6 hours break. Spent part of it in the canteen having breakfast, about 2.5 hours asleep as I only had 2 hours kip last night, part of it messing about on the laptop and part of it chatting to one of our other drivers and also to a fellow Trucknetter who I met for the first time today. It would have been more break but I spent about 30 minutes washing the unit, well I felt guilty about getting all that double time pay for doing nothing.
Then as an added bonus I didn’t have enough time to make it to the train and I just came home instead so a bonus night at home. Oh yeah, tomorrows booking in Hamburg, it aint gonna happen.
Anything over a 20 minute nap and i wake up feeling like absolute turd, so i dont bother usually. If it’s over 2 hours it’s not too bad, but anything inbetween is just ‘urgh’.
I’m definitly not like my dad, he can sleep anywhere, when i went out with him when i was younger he would quite happily have half hour in the drivers seat, but i need to lay down. He can fall asleep in seconds as well, it takes me at least 15 minutes to doze off, so by the time i’ve actually gone it’s time to wake up and carry on
Did quite well for kip today…started at 0115,out of yard by 0145,on farm at Hereford by 0430,in bunk by 0440 and asleep until catchers knocked on the door at 0545,plod up to Vale truckstop at Beckford to do changeover and back at farm by 0840,in bunk by 0850 and didnt get woken until 1050 as the moffit broke down,took a steady plod back to factory and then spent 2 hours getting tipped and washed off then off home Nice 15 hrs to kick the week off
washy jnr:
Did quite well for kip today…started at 0115,out of yard by 0145,on farm at Hereford by 0430,in bunk by 0440 and asleep until catchers knocked on the door at 0545,plod up to Vale truckstop at Beckford to do changeover and back at farm by 0840,in bunk by 0850 and didnt get woken until 1050 as the moffit broke down,took a steady plod back to factory and then spent 2 hours getting tipped and washed off then off home Nice 15 hrs to kick the week off
washy jnr:
Did quite well for kip today…started at 0115,out of yard by 0145,on farm at Hereford by 0430,in bunk by 0440 and asleep until catchers knocked on the door at 0545,plod up to Vale truckstop at Beckford to do changeover and back at farm by 0840,in bunk by 0850 and didnt get woken until 1050 as the moffit broke down,took a steady plod back to factory and then spent 2 hours getting tipped and washed off then off home Nice 15 hrs to kick the week off
Feather pillows?
Goose feathers pillows x4 best of all my mrs has just asked me if i’m knackered yes darling,i’ve been flat out all day
Lucky bugger! I’m on reefers (usually) and the company want time on a bay booked as a break (no handball or anything and free to wander round), not that I’m overly keen on sleeping for half an hour at a time.
I do insist on a half hour break on the way back though as 30mins is deducted from pay
darkseeker:
Lucky bugger! I’m on reefers (usually) and the company want time on a bay booked as a break (no handball or anything and free to wander round),
You know that bit doesn’t actually matter for a break?
Just that a lot of drivers think it does and can get quite indignant about it and can end up looking daft when they dig their heels in.
darkseeker:
I’m on reefers (usually) and the company want time on a bay booked as a break
Cheeky barstewards
yep, doesn’t bother me though as in a roundabout way I get an hour doing f.all and only lose 30mins pay; about half an hour tip and half hour break on way home.
VERY nearly hit the roof when I was pulled into an office and told I was taking too long because I was having a 45 on the way home for some reason they’re fine with a 30 though
Coffee, I didn’t think it mattered (legaly) but it’s always nice to know I’m free to find the coffee machine
I must be in a fortunate position where I can have my break when it suits me! If I’m waiting to tip it’s working time, not using my break just to suit the unready Bob the Builders who knew they had a delivery coming in the first place I also don’t get time stopped for breaks.
glenman:
am i the only one who gets bored on the likes of containers because of all the sitting about ? just how lazy can people be ?
it does get boring but you’ve just gotta make the most of it I suppose so, unless you’re writing a book or doing an open university course, why not catch up on some sleep?
when i’m loading up, i need to supervise to make sure it’s on right. when i’m unloading, there’s a risk that the crane/forklift driver may have a senior moment and stick the steel through the back of the cab!!!. on the plus side, there’s no rush with steel and not many timed deliveries so pulling over for a break (or two!) isn’t usually a problem 
yes darling,i’ve been flat out all day 
