Driving a truck at night comes with its own unique challenges. If you decide (or forced) to do it you have to make sure you know how to so that your safety is never jeopardized.
In this article I am going to give you 14 tips for trucking driving at night that all night time truck drivers have to read.
Driving at night is a skill. Most truck drivers can’t do it. Their bodies just can’t handle being awake and driving between the hours of 10pm and 6am. It’s difficult to do but it can be done. Most OTR drivers avoid driving at night altogether, for good reason too.
Driving a tractor trailer at night is a challenge. Most of us can’t maintain a sleep cycle during the day and therefore opt to drive during the day instead of the night.
If you do drive during the night there is no doubt you can pick out which drivers are falling asleep at the wheel. They can be easy to spot because they don’t hold their lane, their speed is not consistent, and they miss exits. What is frightening is when you see them passing up truck stops and a chance to get some rest.
Here are 14 tips that will help you drive your truck at night and guarantee you, your load, and other motorists are safe. If you know someone that drives a lot during the night send them these tips too, they might save a life.
1. Get Night Vision Glasses
Get a nice pair of night vision glass like these metal framed ones on Amazon. These glasses are great for driving at night because they enhance your vision and help get rid of bright headlights and annoying reflections.
The single most difference maker when driving at night are these night driving glasses. I prefer these because they are solid construction, priced moderately, and come with a case so you don’t break them by sitting on them.
2. Get Clip On Night Vision Lenses
If you have to wear prescription glasses to drive then you can get clip on night vision lenses (polarized) like these here on Amazon. They are easy to clip onto your prescription glasses and will make driving at night a lot easier too. This set comes with a case and lenses for day and night driving. Sweet deal! You get two lenses at a reasonable price!
3. Don’t Treat It Like Day Driving
Driving at night is its own beast. It’s not like day driving at all. There is no chance you are going to drive straight through 7pm to 9am with only a 30 minute break. It’s not going to happen so don’t expect it to.
At some point you will need to stop and get some rest that is more than 30 minutes. I recommend at least an hour of rest to split up the drive.
If you are on duty from 7pm to 9am you should be taking an hour rest at around 1am. Make sure you have a reliable alarm clock like this one on Amazon to wake you up too. I use this alarm clock because it’s easy to use, no complicated buttons at all.
4. Make Sure You Sleep
You need to sleep just like everyone else. When you are not driving make sure you try and get 7-8 hours of good sleep. When you are starting out as a night driver it is going to take some time for your body to adjust to sleeping during the day. Be patient, eventually your body will begin to adjust.
5. Parking In The Right Spot
Sleeping during the day is challenging if you don’t find a quiet spot. A lot of truckers have a hard time recognizing that your curtains are closed for a reason and will continue blowing their horns, blasting music, and shouting.
Find a spot next to other trucks that also look like night drivers tying to sleep.The less noise around you means you will be able to sleep better.
6. Knowing When To Stop
Messing around with lack of sleep and driving a tractor trailer is crazy. These are some signs that it is time to stop driving and get some rest. If you find yourself experiencing any of the characteristics below then you are way past dangerous and need to do everything you can to get off the road and sleep.
1. When you can feel the muscles moving your eyeballs off the road it is time to pull over as soon as possible and get some rest.
2. When you start hallucinating you should get off the road for some sleep.
3. Darkness: If you suddenly find everything dark as your eyelids close involuntarily you are way past dangerous. Stop as soon as possible and get some sleep.
7. Remember This
The only person at your company that cares about how much sleep you get is YOU! Don’t expect dispatch to solve your sleep problems for you, they have their own job to do and you have yours.
Also, no load is worth ending up in a ditch for. If you are too tired to drive its okay to be late. It’s not the end of the world. If you crash it could be the end of your job or career. Take car of yourself.
Nothing is worth running through the night trying to be be somewhere outside of your HOS limitations. Your alternative is to crash and kill yourself or someone else. The industry needs to protect their drivers and not penalize them for being tired. But until that happens (never) you need to take care of your sleep yourself.
8. Tips For Staying Awake
There are a lot of things that you can do to help stay awake. Some of them have been proven scientifically while others have not.
Read this article I wrote for 26 tips for staying awake during long drives. The best thing you can do to stay awake is to sleep or take a nap. If you can’t sleep and need a little help being more attentive I have some suggestions below.
Here are a few of them:
a. Stretching: Get out and do some stretching and walking when you can. This doesn’t have to be for a long time, just 5-10 minutes will get your blood flowing again.
b. Open A Window: Keep the fresh air circulating by opening a window. This will also lower the temperature inside the vehicle which will help you stay awake.
c. Eat An Orange: Not exactly sure if this ones works but many truck drivers say that eating any kind of citrus fruit helps them stay awake.
d. Coffee: Yes, coffee works wonders for helping you stay awake. The bad thing about coffee is that if you drink too much of it at the wrong time you might have a hard time falling sleep later on.
e. Cold Water: Wiping down your face will help you stay alert. While you are at it be sure to drink plenty of water so that you have to go to the bathroom a lot. Going to the bathroom will keep you awake if you are stopping every hour and give you a chance to get out of the truck and walk around a little.
9. Keep Your Eyes Moving
Deer and animals next to the road are more abundant at night. Scan the side of the road and be on the lookout for animals that might step in front of you.
Tip: if an animal does wander into the road in front of you don’t swerve to avoid it. Hit it.
Better that your truck takes some damage from an animal than you ending up in a hospital. Don’t swerve to avoid animals on the roadway.
10. Dim All Your Lights
Your dash, Qualcomm, and GPS should all be dimmed. Dimming them as much as possible will reduce eye fatigue. This can take some time to get used to but after a few days your eyes will adjust. Dimming the lights inside your cabin will make it easier for your eyes to adjust when you look outside again.
11.Keep Windows And Mirrors Clean
Keeping windows and mirrors clean reduces glare. For more truck interior cleaning tips that you have to try you should read this.
12. Watch For Drunk Drivers
Remember that the most important times to watch out for drunk drivers that might hit you are between midnight and 4am. If you see a car swerving in its lane you need to stay away from it.
13. Headlights Are Adjusted
Make sure your headlights are adjusted and clean. Driving at night means it is more crucial that your headlights are adjusted properly than driving during the day. Your headlights are your fist line of defense against everything that’s on the road.
14. Get An Eye Exam
Be sure you have an updated eye exam. If you are going to be night driving you need to make sure your eye are checked and you have the corrective lenses that you need. Try to get an exam every year if possible. If that is unrealistic then at least try once every two years.
