Top 5 Things You Need for Driving Late at Night

You may be a truck driver, or just starting your road trip early... in the evening. Whatever the cause, if you're destined for highway driving late in the midnight hour you had better be well prepared for the long road you have ahead. It is one thing to want to avoid the crowd, but you can't avoid the darkness of the sky when you're going 70 miles an hour.

Let's assess what you'll need to help drive the graveyard shift:

1. A good nap after work. If you're driving after midnight and you get off work at say 5pm or 6pm, your next stop should be your bedroom getting about 4-5 hours of sleep. That extended power-nap or short sleep will help you get through the dark hours of your driving experience. I recently made a trip down south from Chicago. The drive was about 13 hours, but I spent the first three riding through the dark. It really helped me that I was able to get about 3 hours of sleep before hand because driving through the dark takes a toll on your vision. You have to strain more, everything is darker, and in some stretches of highway the only light you see is your own headlights, if you turn the bright lights on. I HIGHLY recommend a nap equivalent to about a half a night's sleep or as close to that as possible. You don't want to drive at night and have not had any recovery from the work day.

2. A driving partner. Have someone driving beside you if you're driving into the night. You have two options with a partner. The first option is that your partner can stay up with you and talk you through the night. This may be good for you if you're a talker. Conversation is a great way to stay up because it revives you and engages you in your surroundings. The majority of people don't have a problem talking and driving, even if it's on the phone. So if you're one of those that needs conversation, get a partner that'll talk with you.

The second option is that your partner goes to sleep while you drive and they are there as emergency relief if you can't take the rigors of night driving anymore. Sometimes this is the route people need to take. You have a spare driver (so to speak) on call in case you can't handle the pressures of night driving any more. When you get sleepy, and a few yawns will occur, then tap that person on the shoulder and ask them to relieve you of the shift. Catch a quick nap and get back under the wheel if necessary. With this option it's a two-man shift instead of a one-man shift.

3. A good caffeinated beverage and some snacks. I'll warn you in advance, do not get heavy food. The objective here is to get some light snacks - chips, pretzels, granola bars, fruit, and things like that. You don't need to be eating a double cheeseburger with fries and a 32oz milkshake when you're driving late at night. That is a recipe for sleep. When the heavy food is on you then it makes you sluggish, especially at later hours. It is recommended not to eat heavy past about 9 or 10pm anyway, so if you do that to your body, then you're just asking for trouble.

I recommend a good caffeinated beverage for those who either like the taste or for those that caffeine actually helps them stay awake. Caffeine doesn't have that kind of effect on me, so I drink it more for the taste. I've gotten into Monster beverages personally. You can also find bottled and canned Starbucks beverages at most gas stations that have a decent food and drink section... that is if you're into Starbucks (and most of us are).

4. Some rockin' music. This is especially important if you're in the car by yourself. Please do not put yourself to sleep by listening to slow music, smooth jazz music, or anything of the kind. That's a recipe for disaster. Music has a great effect as far as to how long you can stay awake. If you have some music to rock to or listen to that's upbeat then you may get far. Some people are likely to be invigorated by upbeat music, or music that you like. You know... the ones where you don't really know the words but you'll still try and sing it or make up something? Everyone has those type of songs in their arsenal... it's like personal karaoke in your car. At 3 in the morning it comes in handy, trust me.

5. An ability to be creatively crazy if need be. If you find yourself bobbing and weaving on the road, or you start hearing the ridges of the shoulder of the road... you'd better do some crazy stuff to stay awake. I've had times where I've slapped myself in order to stay awake (not terribly hard, but enough). It'll get me to the next checkpoint, or the next rest area, or something! Rest areas are your friend late at night... until you get to the next one, you may have to make up crazy songs, bob your head like a rock star, do some air guitar with one hand, put some cold water on your face, ice down your back... whatever it takes to keep yourself awake.