Field tech here how do you guys that have worked , or still work in the field stay awake and focused in the service truck. Some days I go in autopilot mode , or on long hauls I start getting sleepy. Any tips would be appreciated
In the day I had no problems staying awake, on some rare days I was on the road at 3 am, personally I looked forward to lots of heavy traffic when I was driving the service truck, I'd rather be driving than under some greasy machine. And I have never been a coffee drinker, cola yes so ??
Do what you can to get lots of regular sleep it helps a bunch. When one of those crap days comes along you're ready for it.
On long hauls or just plain tired and worn out from the heat. If I get sleepy or go in to auto pilot. I make the first stop that I can. Usually a fuel station. And I walk around drink a soda, smoke a cigarette, or eat a snack. If I am in the middle of nowhere. I will either pull over and walk around the truck. Or I call someone and talk. In the winter time (what passes for winter in Texas) I turn of the heat and roll the windows down. Usually good sleep at night gets me by. But I can get lulled to sleep by simply driving the same old route.
I've been extremely grateful for those highway turtles more than once when the truck started to drift. Now days they put the square grooves spaced close in the middle of the road and to the sides. As I got older I recognized the problem and would pull over in a rest area or a parking lot, lock the doors and roll up the windows, set an alarm that I kept in the truck and catch about a half hour of shut eye. Other times it was a cup of java, snickers bar and the cab windows wide open. I never had a truck that had AC but have been told that the cold air helps.
Me per I've been rolling with the window down no AC. The AC makes me sleepy.
I stop and take a nap in the truck. It is not worth taking a chance when you drift over and hit bus load of kids or a family in a minivan.
How many hours are you working? Are you getting enough sleep? How long are you driving? Any underlying health issues? I know everyone is different but it seems like you should make it through the day awake and alert unless you’re running 18 hr days and not getting any sleep at night.
I was a caffeinated worker for the past 38+ years. I quit cold turkey back in January with only an occasional cup a couple-three times a month if that. If I got tired, especially at work or on a long trip on the motorcycle, I would pop a "Commando Coffee" into my mouth. 20 minutes later I was ready for the most extreme twisty roads! Commando Coffee = Folger's Single teabag style coffee - pull off the string and pop that into your mouth like a Skoal bag. Yep, it's going to be an intense coffee flavor but you get to swallow the juice and get a kick in the brain! I've had days where I was falling asleep on twisty roads in the truck only 10 miles from home. Best thing to do is a 10 minute nap if you are that tired. It's amazing how much 10 minutes closed eye time can do for you to regenerate your alertness. No sense in falling asleep behind the wheel or the sticks. Safe is not stupid. If I have major drowsiness issues, I always keep a hammock in the cab of a machine. Clear a spot near a medium size tree in the shade and then use the push bar to fine tune the hammock's slope. 30-45 minutes or so of rest and I can work well into the dark on a long day. Feed your body the shut eye time it needs - no amount of caffeine can compensate if you get really tired. I've overdosed on caffeine a few times trying to stay alert and unless I tried a stronger drug, which I won't do, needed sleep is the only cure. Even 5-10 minutes of shut eye makes the difference for a quick reset of the brain.
If your under 30 you ether have a medical problem or just not getting the sleep you need. I think back to some of the stuff i did when i was younger i never know how any one could get any thing fixed working 8 to 5. I have another problem now i try not to do any service work because i cant stay out on a job all the hours i would like to and that realy works on my confidence. I have a job today mounting a coolant over flow tank easy peasy but it fills like a big complicated job.
Get a sleep study done, you might have sleep apnea. Find a sleep disorder clinic, don’t go through the hospital (hospital is complete wallet rape even with insurance, my insurance covered 100% of the two sleep studies my ENT ordered because I did it through the clinic while my coworker with same insurance had to pay many thousands because his was done through the hospital).
How's your diet? Cut out junk food and sugars. Take some caffeine.
I work 7 am to 4-5 usually some days 6 or 7 pm
That's always my biggest advice for coworkers to stay awake. Lots of guys that were dead to the world after horking down a bag of fast food and jug of pop, or dozing half way through the shift after the energy drinks wore off and the sugar crash hit. I usually pack a sandwich and mostly eat nuts and jerky on the road. Drink lots of water (hard to doze when you need to pee) and pots of black coffee (ALL DAY) even in the heat. I have a cheap coffee maker that lives in the truck and runs off of the inverter when I need a refill.
Sunflower seeds in the shell work for me.
I've been chewing gum to stay more focused. I see alot of field guys smoking but I've never been a tobacco user
My eatings not the most balanced. I used to each lunch but I haven't been eating lunch during my shift recently just drinking water , and Gatorade
Bingo! Tell him what he’s won, Johnny! Eat some lunch dude. Can’t grind out in the field on an empty stomach. I always bring my lunch and keep some crackers stashed away just in case. How old are you?
I will be 23 in a couple months
Well my medical degree is in a bit of limbo but if I were you I’d try eating a little better and keeping the blood sugar up and if that didn’t work I’d go see a doctor. At 23 years old a 10-12 hour day shouldn’t wear you out like you describe.
Folks take it from an old wheel man, Don't ever sleep in a chair. You will get use to it then when driving it will be easier to fall asleep at the wheel.
^solid advice right there
Lunch and snacks bro lunch and snacks.
Agree on the diet. Good food at regular intervals is my advice to combat fatigue. Small amounts of coffee spread out over the day and plenty of water. No nicotine.
Yep lunch, but not too heavy. I like two sandwiches spread an hour or so apart. Maybe a bag of chips because I like the crunch. No fruit for me, it's just sugar. Some veggies and dip is the usual snack. Do you snack, I do. At 23 I was always hungry and had to constantly eat to avoid low blood sugar.
I eat more snacks during fall , and winter. Summer I focus more on hydration.
I eat no breakfast, just gives me heartburn. Then a light lunch, maybe some cold cuts and carrots and cheese. Back when I started this regimen I was thinking and working real slow for about 2 weeks but I got through it. I needed to lose some weight is why I started. But I think it put me into a place where my brain is not dependent on what I just ate for its energy source. Now I can work pretty independent of food, no breakfast and miss lunch, no problem, 1 meal a day is OK. But I do not make a habit of it.
During my teen years and early 20’s,I was working 7 days for years.Mostly doing 12/14 hour shifts,and hard ones at that driving equipment with out sound suppression or aircon etc. I would be on a D8H for instance,or a TS24 (with those screaming Detroits) burning my right knee against the engine panel,and I would regularly start to go drowsie and almost fall asleep at around 11.30 am give or take.How anyone can drop off with a D8 converter howling away is a mystery to me,but I seemed to manage it. The funny thing is,I’ve never been a good sleeper even now approaching 50.I can’t power nap or sleep on a plane etc,but if I do get a really good nights sleep,my mind is fuzzy and pretty useless. Go figur.
I'm a huge nap fan. I try to take a nap on my work lunch after a small bag of chips and a small pack of trail mix. I sleep like a crazy person though after years of off-shift work, then having kids when I was working a 230-11pm shift and going to bed at 2-3am, but I'd wake up around 6a to watch my little ones. Nowadays it's pretty common to wake up at about 430a, nap at lunch (or at least close my eyes for half hour or so), go home and maybe nap again and then stay up until around midnight. On the weekends it's usually easy for me to stay up until 2a, then sleep until 8 or 9. I was very nervous that I'd get sleepy while driving on the RV trip but that didn't end up being an issue at all. treemuncher- that commando coffee idea is great!
Are you really getting sleepy or you getting road hypnotism? If it's hypnotism, pay more attention to your surroundings. I agree on the good nutrition, and I know how difficult it is to eat well on the road or somewhere with no services. It's easy to eat the calories, but it's very difficult to get the necessary nutrients without over consuming calories.
still gotta eat, my go to during the worst heat has always been some trail mix for snacks and a PB&J for lunch. Keep it cold in a cooler and it helps give a nice break. Take you about 20-30 minutes in the AC in the cab for a lunch break and try to do it about the time it feels right to you.