Definition
A "Truck Sleeper" refers to the compartment attached to the cabin of a truck used for rest or sleeping.
Contents
Origin
The word "sleeper" references a sleeper car which is a railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight. In 1967 the Department of Transportation (DOT) was created. Through the Office of Motor Carriers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT oversees a wide range of requirements such as braking standards, driver licensing standards and their maximum work hours, and the overall safety fitness of interstate carriers. New limits set for drivers on their maximum number of hours worked created a requirement stating a driver may work a maximum of 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty. These safety regulations required drivers to find a place to rest once they reached their maximum number of allotted hours. Many drivers chose to sleep in the cab or cabin of their trucks rather than pay for a road side motel. Truck manufacturers took notice of this and began developing trucks with extended cabs to provide a sleeping area for drivers.
Sleeper Cabins
Owner-operators began spending months at a time on road and began making requests to truck manufacturers for larger and larger sleeping cabins. Truck manufacturers began catering to owner operators who requested greater luxury. Sleepers were initially developed without comfort in mind at 18" to 24". They quickly grew to 36" to 48" with long haul drivers in mind. Custom truck sleepers vary in size in modern trucks from 36" to the massive 230". Custom sleepers come equipped with many of the amenities of modern RVs.