Cab Noise And Hearing Loss

Loud music, concerts, and power equipment as a youngster have led me to point where I have Noise-Induced Hearing Toss and tinnitus. In trying to research cab noise level, I have not found much of anything out there. Only found one older article that basically put cab noise above 100 decibels. At that level, Noise-Induced Hearing Loss will actually get worse. Does anybody know if more recently the truck manufacturers have been addressing NIHL and trying to make the cabs quieter? Seems to me that long-time drivers would also be suffering from NIHL or at least tinnitus if they have been in noisy cabs over many years. Thank you to anybody who responds.

I believe newer trucks may be a bit quieter in the ambient noise department. I'm conscious of the same thing (ever since I was on a transport air crew in the USAF.) For a while I wore ear plugs while I drove. (I believe that's illegal, but no one knows I did it!)

I don't have answer to your question about making cabs quieter.

But FYI- a real good noise chart: Noise Levels

I have no scientific information on it but I very much doubt the noise levels inside the cab of newer trucks is any concern at all. Back in the day they were quite a bit louder but nowadays they're pretty quiet. I've never once heard of anyone addressing noise in the cab as a concern. I've never even heard it spoken about to be honest.

There are free decibel apps for smartphones, even a 2007 truck is in the range for hearing loss.

Brian, I have tinnitus in both ears. My right ear is bad - rings all the time. I was obviously able to pass my DOT hearing test. I don't find the cabs to be bad at all. I can tell a Cummins is a bit noisier than a Detroit Diesel, but it's not painful to me or bothersome. What can be more bothersome to me is when I have the windows down for a while, then I have to roll them up. My tinnitus is bad enough that certain frequencies really affect me, it's not just volume. I can tell you what pitches they are since I'm a musician. Certain road hum can be irritating at times. I go into all that detail to let you know that I can relate, that my case of tinnitus is on the worse side of things, and yet I still manage to drive and do so without discomfort. I'm not concerned about continued hearing loss due to noise inside the tractor. You do wanna be mindful of being around other equipment in the yards, i.e. people slamming into trailers (jockeys), the sound of pulled air brakes in an enclosed fuel bay, etc...

I'm a rookie so my company put me in an 07 Mack with almost 1 million miles on the clock and doesn't seem excessively loud, and Macks probably aren't the most OTR friendly trucks when comes to driver comfort, so I'd think your truck noise level in the cab is probably safe, all just speculation though.