Sleep deprived, how do you sleep while OTR/parked next to APU?

Off the topic a bit, but I have a lot of classical music on an SD card in my smartphone. On those bad nights when Epilepsy keeps all the brain circuits scrambled that music playing helps sooth. I have played it all night long. One of the best things in life is waking to one of Chopin's Nocturnes! Some epileptics will cut you if you mess with their music!

 

I usually avoid parking at truck stops altogether for that reason. Like you, I don't know how so many guys out there deal with the cacophony of noise a crowded truck stop brings what with the thumper motors (APU's), lawnmowers (reefers), and the occasional clutch fan some broke-### owner-operator should have had replaced 145,432 miles ago.

After my CRST trainer parked between two running reefers one night, I vowed to never do that. Fortunately, I had a good trainer and that was the only thing he ever did that I didn't like.

Nowadays, I favor abandoned businesses and lonesome dirt lots for parking. A lot of malls and gas stations in the southeast are abandoned and offer parking free of other trucks most nights. I've slept on abandoned motel lots, too.

If you are an early riser, this can also be an advantage as you can park at convenience store lots when they close and get going before they open again. Same goes for most other businesses that don't open until 8 am or later.

Most Walmart's are good, too. Also, I look for parking on side streets that aren't busy or have dead end cul de sacs. I find that strip malls that feature a Lowe's, Home Depot, or a Kmart can also provide quiet truck parking.

A large percentage of motels offer rv or truck parking, so don't overlook this. Keep watch for parked trucks as you're driving along. Non interstate roads such as 287 in Texas or 95 in Arizona or California or 54 in Oklahoma that run through small towns always have folded up businesses with just enough room to park your rig. Sometimes when running through small towns, you'll notice the local Winn Dixie or whatever will have a large car parking lot with lots of room for big rigs at the front of their lot.

Lastly, keep in mind what day it is. Saturday night/Sunday morning is the easiest time of the week to find parking. Since most businesses are closed on Sunday, parking overnight near the dry cleaners or car wash might be feasible.

But don't park too near a bank or church. Law enforcement officers look at vehicles parked near banks with great suspicion. And out of respect, I don't tread on church property.

 

I'm with you.
I only sleep 4-5 hours a night. As long as its uninterrupted, I am completely rested the next day. Been that way going on 40 years.
With that being said, I also hate noisy reefers and APU's.
My brother pulled a reefer for 12 years. When ever we ran into each other, he would put his reefer on continuous and you could barely hear it running. It had just this nice steady hum. Of course his boss was very meticulous about keeping the reefer turned up and running at peak performance.
My best friend pulls a truck with an APU. Surprisingly, his APU is now 12 years old, and to this day you can barely hear it running.
Those I don't mind parking next to me.
What I hate are those cheap ### Carrier reefers going on and off all night. You can hear those cheap reefers sometimes a 100 ft away.
When they go off next to me, they rattle everything in my truck. Since their not muffled like other reefers, the low bass vibration is unnerving.
The same with APU's. If they are properly maintained, they dont bother me. But when you can hear them 5 trucks away, the exhaust is nauseating, you just won't to take those idiots and drop them in the deepest sink hole you can find.
It's even worse when there loud and stinking, because that straight pipe points right at my sleeper, and the nice level far exceeds recommended levels.

 

I’m going to take my Audio Production Software on my laptop. Bring a microphone. Record all the APU, Reefers, and engines. Create a Drivers Lullaby.

 

Sounds like u aint worked hard enough, go get a flatbed trailer , or somethin other than slammin doors, i tell ya after tarpin in a wind storm or throwin chains in below zero and breakin binders out of ice , u will sleep like a baby that night, theres times im so tired ive parked in truck stops that had a train tracks about 100ft from my truck, trains comin thru every 30 mins blasting the horn, nothing could wake me up sometimes

 

Step 1. Get into flatbedding

Step 2. Spend the morning un-securing and un-tarping your freight for delivery

Step 3. Spend the afternoon getting re-loaded, securing and tarping your freight.

Step 4. Drive whatever time you have left on your clock.

Step 5. Park in between two rattly trucks with super loud reefers, and still pass out within a minute of resting your head.

 

Take big dose of Nyquil an you'll sleep like a baby.

 

Eventually you will just start sleeping through it.

Dont use ear plugs, alarms and window knocks wont wake you up. The window knock might be someone trying to tell you your truck is on fire, or there is a fire near you.

 

Hurricane fans at truck stops are cheap and provide enough white noise to drown out a lot of other things.

***If you need a sleep aid you can buy variants of diphenhydramine hcl (benadryl) at the grocery store for cheap. Nyquil has acetomenophine and will ruin your liver in doses larger than what is directed.