Noise

Yeah, it's that really loud vibration type of noise that gets to me. One day I was bothered by that type of thing from an idling truck two trucks over, and it was really strange because it was only loud when I laid down in the bunk.

And oh yeah, a fan is a must for me too. I'm in a loaner truck right now because mine's in the shop, and the first night I found out the bunk fan didn't work and I wasn't happy. Fortunately I had to go back by the shop where my truck was and I have a second fan I run off an inverter, so I grabbed that.

Anyway, I guess it's just one off those things we have to live with. I think what truck stops need is a "no idling" section. Well, ok, I idle occasionally when it's hot, so I guess that wouldn't work either.

I plug my phone in.. turn the speaker up and either put on Netflix or pandora. Asleep in no time

I've got a touch of tinitis - so background noise is a must anyway, to distract my brain from the ringing in my ears.

I use a sleep noise app on my phone - the noise that works best for me is "Airplane Cabin".

There's never going to be a "no idle section" - you'll always have folks running APU's or Reefers or idling.

Noise is just (yet) another thing in this industry that we just have to "get used to", because that's just the way it is.

Most folks do eventually. Those that can't - well it may just be one of those "lifestyle things" (because trucking IS A LIFESTYLE) that indicates it may not be the one for you.

Rick

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APU's:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

I've actually seen some truck stops with "quiet zones" - no idling allowed in those areas.

With find the hum of my reefer actually helps me sleep. Sounds crazy I know but I don't care for silence. I pulled in nose first once and learned my lesson in the morning when I couldn't get out. Won't make that mistake again.

I am going to try a white noise generator to drown out the foreign sounds. Hopefully that will be the ticket. The one thing I am not looking forward to about going back to semi driving is getting used to sleeping in the truck. I'll make it happen tho

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Yeah, it is a lifestyle thing, I understand that. It's not so much that I'm not getting enough sleep because of noise, but a lot of times it's one of those "vibrates the whole truck" noises that you can't really block out or mask, and it just wears on me.