If you’re anything like me, one of the big questions you have about a truck driver anytime you see him or her driving their big rigs is: “where do you guys sleep?” Well, contrary to popular belief, being a trucker doesn’t always mean you’re destined to make long, cross-country trips with nights & nights away from your own home & bed.
First off, not every trucking job requires the driver to be away from home. Some gigs are totally local, meaning that those local drivers never have to drive farther than a day’s trip away from home. Local drivers will also usually drive what are called “day cab” trucks, which only have seats in their tractors, or engine-bearing front sections.
But O.T.R. (or “over-the-road) and regional truck drivers, meanwhile, can spend many days away from home. And while regional drivers can usually return home on the weekends, O.T.R. truckers can be gone for weeks at a time. And because of that, their rigs are usually feature what are called “sleeper cabs”. And honestly (at least in my opinion), those sleeper cabs can be pretty dang awesome-looking (certainly better than just some cot or sleeping bag).
Sleeper cab mattresses usually run about the same size as a twin mattress, somewhere around 80 inches long by 40 inches wide (though that can vary across different trucks). Meanwhile, sleeper cabs can also feature more than just a place to sleep, with some even having a fridge, a microwave, a TV, and more homelike comforts. There are even some swankier customized cabin models that sport sinks, stoves, a shower, and even a commode!
Sure, some truckers may spend a night or two in a hotel here & there; heck, some trucking companies even pay for their drivers to stay in hotels or motels every night they’re away from home. But where do the large majority of truckers park their rigs when they need to catch a few winks? Not usually on the shoulder of the highway, that’s for sure, since the roadside is only for emergencies. Truckers, instead, often head to rest stops or parking lots that are owned by, or are in a partnership with, their trucking company and/or their customers.
So, if the question is “Where do truck drivers sleep?”, the answer really depends on the type of job & the company’s business strategy. But one thing’s for sure: they certainly have options.
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BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Berryville Graphics