CR England Girl

March 14^th starts National Sleep Awareness Week.  It is starting with daylight savings time change and I see why they chose that date.  I had to ask myself, what is sleep apnea?  I found through this cool web page, shiftworkdisorder.com that sleep apnea is when people keep waking up during the night and don’t even realize it.  And then in the morning, a lot of people wake up with a headache and they are tired and cranky during the day.  The article also talked about the fact that 90% of the time that police officers pull a reckless driver over, it’s because they are drowsy, not drunk.  And couples fight about snoring just as much as they do about that all-powerful dollar.  Who’d of thought!

There is no good in sleep apnea; however, those with it have fewer nightmares remembered.  They say the lack of sleep blocks out the memory of the nightmare.  Weird, huh?

The typical ways to treat minor cases of sleep apnea are those common answers to health problems:  Eat healthier, exercise, and loose weight.  Those who have sleep apnea have long-term problems like diabetes and heart disease.  So it’s a pretty serious health problem.

80,000 people fall asleep at the wheel every day.  This is serious stuff!  A clinic called The Sleep & Wellness Centers of Western New York work with us truck drivers a lot.  Truck driving school personnel refer applicants to this clinic when there is a problem in the drivers sleep.  It’s too dangerous to have a driver groggy on the road, you know?  This clinic analyzes their patients at nighttime.  The patient comes in and sleeps while they are hooked up to monitors and sensors.  The doctors studies the readings found and decide if it’s sleep apnea and then can make a decision on how to cure the problem.  Sounds simple, doesn’t it?  It might be worth the test if you feel you have a problem with your sleep.

The original daily news online article can be found at:  http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/articles/2010/03/03/news/6535251.txt

The original shiftworkdisorder.com article is available here: http://www.shiftworkdisorder.com/sleep-apnea-decreases-dream-frequency-and-nightmare-recall-10817.html

PCS Software Inc., out of Woodlands, TX, is really exciting about announcing that they are the first smart phone app created for the trucking industry.  That’s big news for drivers who are slowly putting together their business and their smart phone.  Many truck drivers are already using their calendar and phone in their smart phone to help them.  Now PCS Software Inc. is making it possible to locate loads while on the highway.  Updated every 5 minutes, this is a first in the beginning of new know-how for the phone.  According to PCS Software Inc.’s web page, the ‘iLoadFinder’ helps drivers do three things:

1. Give the radius to search the distance they want the load to travel.
2. Search by origin and destination city, state and shipper.
3. Once the load is found, the driver can notify the shipper by touching the screen and have the choice to phone or e-mail the information needed.

Although the technology has been out there for a long time, it has always been through the cab laptop.  Using your smart phone is a whole new world.  Think about it, instead of logging into a software program on your laptop, just tap on the app on your smart phone and it accesses the information in your hand.  Amazing!

One has to wonder if apps like this will take us into a world where even our cab laptops won’t be needed.  Although we are looking far, far into the future (or are we?), the needs of our truckers will push the creative minds to make money from what we need to make our lives easier.

You can find the full Marketwire.com article here: http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/PCS-Software-Releases-New-iPhone-App-iLoadFinder-1105490.htm

You can find the full truckdrivernews.com article here: http://www.truckdriversnews.com/pcs-software-releases-new-iphone-app-iloadfinder/

People looking for CDL jobs have a great option open to them in this economy.  In fact, even those wanting to change careers but afraid to because of the unemployment rate have a chance to change their life by becoming a truck driver.  There is opportunity in truck driving even if you don’t have your CDL yet.

With bigger trucking companies, going to truck driving school is easier financially because they pay for the schooling and take it slowly out of your check until it is paid for.  Apply for the school and if you are accepted, you have a paid job in about three to four weeks, depending on the school.

In fact, truck-driving jobs pay about $37,500 yearly after just a little bit of experience.  Those experienced drivers make a lot more.   A lot of them make more than $75,000 each year.  Not bad for carrying product from one destination to another.  Drivers get to see the country, have flexible hours and get paid for it.

Make sure to choose a school that is a good fit for you.  One school that I know of is CR England Premier Driving School.  Check into it.  I know they are always looking for drivers.  Go to CR England and click on Truck Driving School.  On the left side tabs, all the information you need is right there.  If you have other questions, call their 800 phone number at 1-800-421-9004.

The economy can scare people from trying new things in life.  Don’t let it.  There are options out there and truck driving is one of them.  Just think, A huge window is truck driving.  If other trucking companies are like CR England Trucking, there are jobs to be had.

So, I was reading Glamour Health and Fitness, and I found this great article on the 5 things we women should know about sleep.  And since sleep is one of my favorite things, I had to take a look.  It was good stuff.  In fact I learned that most women have a problem getting enough sleep.

Not only that, but I’m suppose to be smarter when I get more sleep.  I like the sound of that one.  Plus, sleep is supposed to help me loose weight and look younger.  The more sleep, the better your metabolism.  Can you imagine?  I could be smarter, thinner and look younger if I got more sleep.  Yeah!

So, how do I get enough sleep?  That’s the hard part.  The article said to create a schedule and “stick to it”.  Yeah right.  It’s not that easy, agreed?  When teenagers are in the home, the house isn’t quiet until way after a normal bedtime.  Getting up early while your teenager is still sleeping makes me want to wake the kid up so they can relate.  In fact, that’s a great idea.  That’s what I’m doing in the morning.  Then maybe my teenager will feel my pain.

That problem solved.

The article said to marry the right person.  I totally agree with this one.  A man who expects you to do it all, plus take care of him is not going to share the home workload created by all in the house.  Allow him to help.  If you think you can do it all, you will do it all, except all by yourself.  That means less sleep.

I’m good there.

All right, lets see if I have it right.  Better sleep means loose pounds, look younger, and be smarter.  I’m there.

http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2010/02/sleep-challenge-2010-2.html

As a driver, trucking is more of a lifestyle than a job for many.  Finding ways to stay entertained is part of the mix that makes driving more enjoyable.  Today’s “gadgets” have changed how truckers live their lives on the roads.

Overdrive Trucking Radio says that 66% of the truck drivers on the road listen to four or more hours of radio a day?  Wow!  Satellite radio gives us more options today than our predecessors and there are now stations on satellite radio specific to our field. For many drivers out on the road, the radio keeps the music going and keeps drivers up to date with current events.

…And don’t forget the videos!

Flat panels TV’s are great for taking less space.  And watching a DVD in the evening to relax is a part of many of our lives. They even say it’s a stress reliever. I bet we are not far off from seeing truck driving jobs ads in the paper that highlight the size of the plasma screen.

With today’s technology, removing the dish out of satellite TV for trucks allows truckers to watch their favorite show in the privacy of there own cab.  And it only gets better.  Just like the Internet, dish-less satellite TV gives drivers weather forecasts.  Also, for teams and couples on the road, one driver can drive while the other relaxes watching their favorite shows.  Yes, it’s true.  People can watch live TV, even when the truck is moving.  Think about it.  The passenger is much more relaxed than if just sitting and watching the road.  Then when it’s the other driver’s turn, the new driver is fresher for a safer drive.

More common gadgets that are familiar to drivers our digital music toys as well as smart phones.  We listen to our favorite music without the storage space needed for physical CD’s.  Our favorite songs stored in an aluminum box smaller than our set of keys.  Amazing!  Facebook and Twitter give us a social outlet and what’s next?

Only imagination can come up with our next generation of truck cab entertainment.  It will be interesting to watch in the next few years.  What seems impossible now may be what we buy tomorrow.

A lot of drivers look already think about the equipment when deciding on truck driving jobs. Maybe in the future truck drivers will have to look at the in cab entertainment possibilities too. Till next time, CREnglandgirl-