Truck Driver Tips To Keep You Awake

While driving down a long, smooth highway, surrounded by nothing but expanses of land it is easy to feel yourself drifting into a haze. The world around you begins to become blurry. The noise of your tires on the road and the other cars surrounding you fades and you feel your muscles relaxing as you take a deep breath. Next, you begin to blink more slowly; your eyelids seem so heavy. What next?

We all know this is a very real feeling and anyone who has ever driven has felt it. For those with truck driving jobs this feeling is very common, and for some a daily occurrence. But what if you have just come off a break and cannot afford to stop? Let’s face it, even right after waking up we sometimes wish we could just go back to bed.

There are ways to stay awake, some better than others. The following article includes some helpful tips to keep the sandman at bay. Of course, one of the best things to do when you find yourself beginning to slip off is to get up and move around.  Park your truck somewhere such as a park with a track and go running for about ten or fifteen minutes. You will be surprised at the difference that will make. If there is nowhere to go running, get out of your truck and do jumping jacks, lunges, push-ups, or crunches. As long as you are getting your blood flowing you will wake up.

However, truck driving jobs do not always allow you time to just pull over and move around. What if you are stuck on a freeway in a large city or in bumper to bumper traffic? One option in this circumstance is music. Turn on some music with an upbeat tempo and turn it up loud. One thing that helps even more if the music has lyrics; is to sing along. Sing at the top of your lungs. Tell yourself you are Elvis.

Singing along with an upbeat song will help you concentrate on something beside the long expanse of boring road in front of you. As you sing you’ll find your spirits lift and in time, you are no longer fighting off fatigue, but the urge to become a rock star!

If the thought of singing makes you shudder or for some reason you hate music, there is always other options. One of them being eating. The action of eating will help you stay awake and the sugars and nutrients from the food will dissolve into your system making you more alert. It is important when choosing this option to be wary of what you eat. If you are eating something dripping with grease you might feel a little more revived for a while, but in the end you will feel even worse than you did before. If you are a team truck driver, talk to your partner. This will keep your mind going and will keep you alert to what is going on around you.

Of course, if the fatigue is overwhelming and you know it is simply not possible to stay awake: pull over. Remember, no load is worth your life. Drowsy driving is a dangerous practice and with these tips on staying awake and alert while driving, you will be equipped to face the long road head-on. For more information on truck driving and how to start your truck driving job, visit our website here http://www.crengland.com.