What Is a Sleeper Cab?
Semi-trucks with sleeper cabs are a solution to FMCSA driver fatigue concerns.
What is a sleeper truck?
A semi-truck sleeper cab is a form of a semi-truck with an extended cabin. That cabin unit is also the place where the truck driver sleeps or rests during his off-duty hours. This option is absent in day cabs. See the difference between sleeper cabs and day cabs.
These types of semi-truck with sleepers are used for long hauls.
Long hauls are the type of loads where the driver can’t deliver the load in one shift and, because of that, he has to spend his 10 hour break in the sleeper cab. That is required by law!
How sleeper cabs earned their place in the trucking industry?
In the semi-truck with sleeper history, not all trucks had sleeper cabins.
Back then, all trucks were day trucks. Truck manufacturers didn’t consider creating a compartment inside the cabin where the driver could sleep.
Because of that, OTR truck drivers were forced to sleep in the hotels (which were expensive) or in their trucks on upright seats.
Living in a sleeper cab
Since the day when sleeper cabs became available, many OTR truck drivers bought semi-trucks with sleeper cabs, which they, after that, customized to their liking and lived there.
For many truck drivers, who spent most of their time on the road rather than at home, living in a sleeper cab made sense.
What is the basic configuration of a sleeper cab?
The high-end tractor units come with plenty of storage for personal items, blackout curtains, and climate control. The only important thing that they lack is the bathroom facilities.
- Sleeper berth area: This area is where drivers sleep. Most sleeper trucks have a twin bed that pulls down from the wall.
- A thick curtain: Usually that divides the sleeping area from the cab of the truck to keep out light.
- Storage compartments: Because storage is limited in a truck, a truck sleeper cab has a few storage areas where truckers can keep clothes, food, utensils, toiletries, and other personal items.
The features listed above are the most common amenities featured in a sleeper truck with basic features.
Custom made sleeper cabs
Truck drivers who own huge semi-truck sleeper cabs order custom made designs inside their sleepers. They specify that they want a kitchen, a bathroom, or a comfortable resting area in their sleeper cab inside layout.
Because of that, their sleepers fit almost everything that a normal person needs for living.