Sleeping w/reefer hard to get used to it?

As to circadian rythm

I've been driving semi's for over 2 of the last 3 years. Nearly all of that was OTR, which includes jet lag and time zone adjustments a couple times a week. Also, sometimes you get up at 3 am to make the delivery, sometimes you sleep late because they can't take you until noon, or whatever.

I'm 58 years old, and I have FINALLY learned to sleep when I need to, at least, most of the time. Frankly, I get more sleep driving OTR and messing with my circadian rhythms than I EVER got driving a local night shift gig.

If you're serious about nearly ANY type of trucking job, your circadian rhythm is likely to take a hit. Frequently. How you deal with it is what really matters. I've also learned to love naps, and I take a lot of them, especially when I'm on the road.

 

Well, it's decided. I'm going reefer. I'm in orientation now, should get slapped on the ### Friday. (Reference to oldy days, hauling stuff on mules, slap em on the ###, and hope they go.)

I'm signing on with a ###### big company, but they run it so each terminal is sort of it's own business unit, and the terminal I'll be driving from has about 70 rigs.

I met most of the office staff today, good people. The "yard #####" is 65 I think he said, been trucking since his teens, and really knows a couple of things. Good guy, I like him a lot.

It looks like I'll be driving a beat up old Volvo, which is fine with me. I've only ever driven a Volvo in CDL school 3 years ago, mostly Kenworth since then and about 80K in a couple of Cascadias, so it'll be a bit different. The Volvo is high miles, so I'll probably only have it a few months. It's not really beat up, but after coming right out of a brand new T680, I'm going to pretend a bit.

Anyhow, I also learned today that a lot of people have some very false ideas about this company, which I find quite amusing.

The device they use for their ELD/in cab comms is new to me and quite different from what I'm used to, but being a gadget geek, that doesn't concern me much.

Yee haw.

 

Ok, so I slept with a reefer running continuous last night. Not bad. The company I work for has pretty good equipment, and this was actually a pretty new reefer. I've slept next to FAR noisier units.

And yeah, my sleep is a mess right now, just due to delivering/picking up late, early, etc. I can hang; I've learned some really effective methods over the last couple years for getting relaxed and asleep, mostly to do with mindfulness.

Anyhow, yeah, it will be an adjustment, but totally do-able.

 

Well, I'm over a week into sleeping with a reefer, and after the third night, my adjustment was pretty much complete.

Honestly, the tractor's optimized idle disrupts my sleep more than the reefer does.