Driving a truck, especially cross-country or long distances can be a challenge. Missing home and family, staying safe and keeping yourself healthy can all be big challenges. Staying on your game is critical to your success and longevity as a driver. Following are some suggestions of how you might better accomplish that.
Sleep Breaks
Most long distance truck drivers are required to sleep for 8 hours out of 24, both in order to help avoid accidents and to keep drivers healthier. If you spend a couple or more hours of that playing video games or looking at Facebook, for instance, you are taking a serious chunk out of that time. Make every effort to actually sleep during that period of time. You may find it makes a huge difference.
Maintenance
Keeping your rig in good condition is keep to driving safety. A loose lug nut or unusual sound or smell coming from the engine could spell big trouble if you let it go. Do a thorough systems check before each start-up. If you run into trouble, call a 24 hour truck tire repair to help with flats or other problems that could keep you off the road.
Distractions
The radio can help pass time and keep you awake, but break it up by listening to talk radio, podcasts or other similar things that keep your brain listening for the next answer or the rest of the story. Than can help maintain wakefulness and keep your mind focused. Try to avoid turning the sound up too high or using headphones, which drown out outside noises that may help you pay attention to your surroundings.
As you can see, there are a few ways that you can improve both your performance and your safety. The trucking business is the backbone of American business and your contribution to it is vital. Make sure you are safe and well so you can enjoy a long and happy career.