Truck sleeper

The word "sleeper" references a sleeper car which is a railroad car with sleeping facilities for passengers travelling overnight.

Early (1933) sleeper cab bed

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. Similar regulations apply in Australia[1][2][3] and in other parts of the world.

Modern sleeper cab interior

Sleeping berths came into use as early as the 1920s, but they were often unsafe and uncomfortable.[4] They nonetheless allowed owner-operators to spend months at a time on road, often driving in teams of two (one drove while the other slept).[4] With this successful formula, drivers began making requests to truck manufacturers for larger and larger sleeping cabins. Manufacturers began catering to owner operators who requested greater luxury. Sleepers were initially developed without comfort in mind at 18 to 24 in (460 to 610 mm). They quickly grew to 36 to 48 in (910 to 1,220 mm) with long haul drivers in mind. Their size came to be regulated in the US in the 1950s but length restrictions were removed in the 1980s.[4] Custom truck sleepers vary in size in modern trucks from 36 in (910 mm) to the massive 230 in (5,800 mm). Custom sleepers come equipped with many of the amenities of modern RVs. By 2000, approximately 70% of new trucks manufactured in the US included sleeper berths.[4]