It is highly responsible to drive a HGV, due to its size and weight, because it may present a risk of accidents. Therefore, driving time, breaks, and the number of them, are regulated very strictly. Along with the regulations, HGV drivers have to cope with health problems such as repetitive stress injuries (RSI), fatigue, and difficulty staying awake while driving at night. How do HGV drivers cope with distance driving?
Having a conversation to kill the time
The biggest enemy of HGV drivers covering long distances is the silence and boredom, which may cause difficulties staying awake, especially when driving at night. To train driving skills, it’s best to use an HGV Training Centre, but together with the training it’s good to use simple tricks to fight the fatigue and tiredness caused by long distance driving.
CB radio conversations have always been so popular, since they allow drivers to kill time while controlling traffic and obstacles on the road.Nowadays, mobile phones reversed the trend, as social media communicators allow drivers to use their cameras, making the conversations more personal. A device that doesn’t engage your hands is the most important thing to use.
Taking care of the body
Spending long hours in the same position, without the possibility of moving, or being active, may lead to obesity, and serious musculoskeletal disorders. In the same way that office workers are recommended to stand up and stretch, HGV drivers should do the same.
It’s pretty obvious the drivers don’t usually have the chance of going to the gym for their workout, or carrying fitness equipment with them. But why not try out prison workouts, which means doing exercises, relying on everyday objects and the weight of the body. Jogging around the tractor and the trailer is kind of a workout too.
Cooking for themselves and staying healthy
Surprisingly, HGV long distance drivers are not limited to eating in restaurants or fast food bars, but they may keep their healthy diet by cooking for themselves. Using a camping cooker, you can cook almost any food you would prepare at home, which is a solution to poor nutrition, leading to obesity, and boredom during breaks.
Exercising the brain
Brain works like a muscle, so if we don’t exercise it, its performance lowers. In order to keep the journey safe, HGV drivers must stay awake and keep the brain active. There are many possibilities even while driving, such as adding up the number plate digits of the cars around, forming words from the number plates letters, or completing crosswords or other puzzles during the breaks.
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