Have you ever pulled over on the shoulder and went to sleep in the sleeper? A driver from Arkansas became extremely sleepy and pulled over on the shoulder. He then crawled into the sleeper and dozed off immediately. 

Traffic was heavy that night and 18-wheelers were traveling two abreast on the interstate at times. Most were moving into the next lane for him as is the standard practice. As time went by, an 18-wheeler was forced to pass him without pulling over and, since he was moving at a fast pace, it shook the tractor on the shoulder. 

The driver awoke and leaped up hitting his head. His mind was not working properly and, since everything around him was moving, he thought his tractor was moving. He jumped into the driver's seat and pushed with all his might on the brakes. 

A funny story but it could have been a tragic one as well. Accidents and injuries can be avoided by taking the following steps: 

   1.    Get completely off the interstate and preferably into a truck stop parking lot or a rest area. Remove yourself from the driver’s seat. That is your place of work not your place for sleep. 

   2.    Place your head across your arms over the dog house or appropriate area and go to sleep. After about 20-30 minutes, the circulation will stop in your arms and the pain will wake you up. 

   3.    Remember, on the shoulder, you create a hazard to moving traffic. And you never want your system to even think that the driver’s seat is a place to sleep. 

That's the way I see it - Bob Hataway - TransAlive.