Any Truck Drivers Here? How Are You Managing with Your Tinnitus?

How are you managing your tinnitus with driving a truck and does it have any effect on your tinnitus? Are you driving a newer stock truck or aftermarket exhaust older model?

I have my CDL and I used to drive a truck locally which didn’t seem to affect my tinnitus too much. That’s when my ears were probably in better health overall but still damaged. I am thinking about hopping back in the driver seat to get myself back on my feet financially but I am a little hesitant because I don’t want to make my tinnitus permanently worse. I would be driving a newer model truck, for 8-10 hours a day, up to 12 hours if you include sitting in docks and wait time.

Should I wear earplugs? I know other guys do it but I hear that's still not 100% foolproof as the frequency of noise exposure is consequently worse with lower frequencies and harder to block (like big heavy duty equipment).

Maybe I am just a little paranoid but I want to get your opinions!

 

I would use earmuffs and noise-canceling headphones, better than earplugs for low frequencies.

 

I drive a newer 2018 Freightliner. I have had no spikes from driving. On the days when I'm driving on the highway for longer periods of time, the decibels in the truck are around 80-85. On those longer drives I use noise reducing earplugs and haven't had an issue.

 

I appreciate the response, 80-85 dB sounds about right depending on load and elevation changes.

What form of tinnitus do you have? A common ringing?

 

My tinnitus is a hissing/buzzing sound. It was always louder in my left ear from an acoustical trauma and about a month ago my right ear joined the party and got louder. Probably due to stress so things are off for me at the moment. But I'm still driving.

Just wear noise reduction earplugs on those long drives and you'll be fine. I only try and wear mine when on the highway for long periods of time. I do regional driving around Pa, NJ and De.

 

Are you sure it's just stress, or do you think driving could have started this? How are you doing now?

 

Yeah definitely stress related. I've been driving for almost 2 years with tinnitus and not once had a spike due to driving. Like I said, just use earplugs on long drives or just see how your ears respond without them. Newer trucks are definitely quieter then the older ones. My tinnitus is still up at the moment but definitely not like it was. It's calming down slowly. Just takes time to return to baseline for me. This spike threw me off from habituation a bit. But I'm confident habituation will return as soon as I get the anxiety under control.

 

As stated above, noise-canceling headphones really help with the low frequencies. Earplugs not so much.

When it comes to measuring dB in trucks and planes, the sound is mostly in the low frequencies. dBA rating isn't good because it cuts everything off below 500 Hz when measuring. If you use a dBC rating you might actually see that low frequencies are another 10 dB higher or more in a truck or plane. around 90 dB.

Noise-cancelling headphones can reduce this by at least 15 dB.

Historically low frequencies are thought to affect us a lot less, so that may or may not be an issue with you. You should just be informed before making the decision.

 

I am not a truck driver, but I have driven my car with severe hyperacusis. If you use earplugs while driving the sound will still be driven through bone conduction. So this is a situation where there is not a way to go, a proper solution for all (like the dentist); it is a matter of trial and error.

Try driving with earplugs, try driving without earplugs. Try driving at a lower speed if you can (less noisy). Try taking frequent breaks if you can... of course this works when one is driving for leisure, but if one has to drive in certain conditions as a job... well, that's another matter, so it may be harder to adapt.

 

So about 80 decibels, give or take, can go through your bone and cause your tinnitus to worsen over time? It's hard to make a decision because it's a shot in the dark. If I take up a job, I don't want to quit right away or be in a rough spot but I'd love to hop back in the driver seat again. I really miss it.

 

I did hear that lower frequencies are harder to block, but if the truck is say, 85 decibels (usually between 70-75 decibels), then you don't think the earplugs will block at least 10 decibels?

 

Bone conduction isn't going to happen at those decibel levels. The sound has to be extremely loud in order for that to happen. You'll be fine driving long distances with noise reducing earplugs. Local driving for my truck is around 70-75 dB. And at highway speeds it's at 80-85 dB. Like I said, I have never had a spike or any issues with driving.

@Michael Leigh might chime in on this bone conduction. He's a tinnitus veteran and could offer great assistance.

 

Tinnitus is very individual so it's hard to predict how it is going to evolve over time. But my guess is that driving many hours per day is not going to be good for tinnitus. The constant droning, plus the odd traffic noises, like loud vehicles, sirens, car horns etc etc etc.

 

What truck do you drive? The newer ones are significantly quieter than the old ones but they can still be loud compared to an average car. I wish electric trucks were common place these days!

EDIT:

I forgot you mentioned your truck in an earlier post! 2018 Freightliner is a good truck, still room for improvement though! What do you think about the newer models (2020 or newer)? The Mack Anthem, Freightliner Cascadia, Volvo...

 

All those trucks listed are great trucks nowadays. I'm kinda partial to the Freightliner because I've been driving them for years. Company provided trucks. The newer Cascadias are beautiful inside and the newer body style is also nice.

I would say get back in the truck and drive. If you put truck drivers in the search bar, there's others who drove with tinnitus as well. Don't let this stop you from doing what you love. Adapt and overcome. You're going to be fine. I had 5 different audiologists tell me the same because I was scared as well.