Coping With Illness On The Road

So I started feeling a bit crappy last night before I went to bed. Coughing a bit and head started throbbing..slept very badly..freezing cold one minute, sweating the next and finally was able to drag myself out of bed 12 hours later, and today I am a practical vegetable. My concern is, if this had happened to me while I was out on the road and under load, what would happen. I mean, there is NO WAY I would have been even remotely safe to drive today. I am feeling a bit better this afternoon and will probably be back to near normal tomorrow, if I can get a good, full night of sleep but how do companies deal with driver sickness like flu and stuff like that? I mean, it's not like you can phone in a sick day with a load hanging onto the back of your truck.

Guy, Starcar can probably answer this better than anyone since she and TSB have been doing this long enough that they've both almost died on the road once or twice. But I'm gonna give it a stab for ya. Basically, if at all possible, man up and get your load delivered. Let dispatch know what's going on so that you can take what ever rest you need after that load is delivered. Now, if it's just not safe for you to drive, then you tell dispatch and get yourself some rest or to an emergency room or a clinic. If it's not safe for you to drive then dispatch will deal with your load. They will either explain what's going on to the customer, or if necessary they will get another truck routed to your location to hook on to your trailer so the customer is taken care of - that is part of a dispatchers job. Everybody thinks that dispatcher is there for the drivers sake, but really they're there for the freights sake. Hope that helps a little.

That's the perfect answer by Old School. Man up and make it happen if you can do it safely, otherwise call dispatch and let them know you're not safe to drive.

You've heard me say this numerous times before - trucking is an industry for people who know how to get the job done safely day in and day out. On a regular basis you will face situations where you just have to suck it up and get through whatever challenges you're facing. But nothing ever trumps safety - safety is everything.

So for the "top tier" drivers out there, the question always comes down to "Can I find a way to get this done safely?" The answer for them will almost always be "yes". And on that rare occasion when you just can't do it, your reputation as an awesome driver who can get through almost anything will keep you from being put in the doghouse for slacking, ya know what I mean?

There's a lot of drivers out there that always seem to get sick when they have to go to New Jersey, or their truck just happens to break down when they're heading into bad weather, or they're suddenly out of hours just a couple hours short of heading into an area they don't like. I know from talking to you here in the forum that you're never going to be that type. But you're going to have to deal with them because you're the one that's going to have to go pick up their load and do the dirty work of delivering it because they don't want to. And when you're put in that situation you're going to see just how much of a pain in the *ss it is when a driver gets sick or breaks down - it throws a wrench in the gears for everyone.

So if at all possible, get the job done. If you just can't, you just can't.

Thanks for the info guys, I remember briefly reading about Starcars issues, but wondered since she was an O/O if it was different for them than for company drivers. Brett, You can bet that I am the type of guy (no pun intended) who will tell someone to MAN UP and get the job done. I don't take sick(slack)ness lightly. In 20+ years of working I can count on one hand the number of times I've had to take an actual sick day. But as you said, safety comes first. That was my underlying question, I guess. I suppose it all comes down to the driver and common sense. If you try and push through and have an accident, the company is most likely gonna throw up their hands and say, "He shoulda stayed put".

When your sick on the road, its 10 times worse than being sick at home. But the treatment is the same...lots and LOTS of water....not coffee (which is a diretic ), not soda, just plain boring water. Watch your temp ( ALWAYS have a thermometer in your truck). Your temp will tell you alot about how you feel, where you are in your recovery, and if you should be driving or not (never drive with a temp over 103*, above that most people have mild delirium, and can't focus.) TSB and I both have been seriously ill on the road. And it isn't any different for O/O's. We still call either dispatch, or the receiver and tell em their freights gonna be a little late. But all good dispatchers should be focused on the health of their drivers, and it is a HUGE safety issue to force a driver to roll when they are ill.

When your sick on the road, its 10 times worse than being sick at home. But the treatment is the same...lots and LOTS of water....not coffee (which is a diretic ), not soda, just plain boring water. Watch your temp ( ALWAYS have a thermometer in your truck). Your temp will tell you alot about how you feel, where you are in your recovery, and if you should be driving or not (never drive with a temp over 103*, above that most people have mild delirium, and can't focus.) TSB and I both have been seriously ill on the road. And it isn't any different for O/O's. We still call either dispatch, or the receiver and tell em their freights gonna be a little late. But all good dispatchers should be focused on the health of their drivers, and it is a HUGE safety issue to force a driver to roll when they are ill.

Thanks again, Starcar..you really ARE a Star..

I am going thru this as we speak. Started feeling icky last night, nose running and I could feel a head cold coming on. Drove thru the night to get an ASAP load delivered early. Wasn't scheduled til Monday so I figured R&R but they had an emergency top dollar account come open that needs to be delivered so I have to wake up hightail it 142 miles to pick and then unload then haul butt to my next pick anddrive that 808 miles. I feel like crap and the terminal is closed so I can't make hot theraflu cold&flu tea to knock it out. Nightquil isn't working to get me to sleep but hey you gotta do what you gotta do! Its gonna be a long week I can sure feel it but where there's $$$ to be made this girl is on it:) Come rain, sleet, snow, hail, sunny days, colds coughs, congestion, and anything else you can think of that SUCKS to deal with on thie rod lol

I am going thru this as we speak. Started feeling icky last night, nose running and I could feel a head cold coming on. Drove thru the night to get an ASAP load delivered early. Wasn't scheduled til Monday so I figured R&R but they had an emergency top dollar account come open that needs to be delivered so I have to wake up hightail it 142 miles to pick and then unload then haul butt to my next pick anddrive that 808 miles. I feel like crap and the terminal is closed so I can't make hot theraflu cold&flu tea to knock it out. Nightquil isn't working to get me to sleep but hey you gotta do what you gotta do! Its gonna be a long week I can sure feel it but where there's $$$ to be made this girl is on it:) Come rain, sleet, snow, hail, sunny days, colds coughs, congestion, and anything else you can think of that SUCKS to deal with on thie rod lol

Stay safe out there Redgator...Hope you get to feel better..

Red Gator....my sympathies to you....DRINK GALLONS OF WATER.....and btw...you can' have ANY alcohol based anythings in your truck....sorry, but that included niquil....The worst of the flu should be over in 2 days or so....tough it out if you can...

Its gonna be a long week I can sure feel it but where there's $$$ to be made this girl is on it:)

That's how I always felt. The more work I do, the more money I'll make you say??? Say no more! I'm off to work!!!

Being sick on the road is definitely a major drag. I sure hope you're feeling a lot better real soon.