Sleeping w/reefer hard to get used to it?

This is something to consider seriously. Can you continually screw with your circadian rhythm like that and not be miserable?

 

I am a light sleeper and it wasn't difficult. Truck stops and rest areas are noisier than you think they are, reefer noise becomes white noise and helps you sleep.

 

Crazy, I can only sleep with my reefer running. The only time I have hard time sleeping is when loud peterbuilts park next to me, that's when the gloves come of and teeth start flying out

 

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.

 

Yep.

 

When I retired i had to go out and buy an old reefer trailer, set it at -20 every night, and park it next to my bedroom window so I could sleep at night. Lol

 

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.

 

Get a white noise machine and start using it now. I personally love a white noise machine, even use it when I'm home.