Dot physical question

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by ArmyGuy, Jul 22, 2011.

  1. ArmyGuy

    ArmyGuy Heavy Load Member

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    Tomorrow is the start of my 2nd week of school and they will be giving a physical and i have a few questions. I do realize somewhere in this site there are similar questions but i would like to ask my question here anyways. First im26 years old 6'6 300 lb guy and i would say im about 40 lbs overweight but my blood pressure is always kinda high. I talked to my va doctor and he says its borderline that he doesnt want to put me on meds yet and last week i was there my bp was 137/87. He did give me some kind of waterpill but my question is even if my bp was high and they had to give me a 1 yr med card , do companies look down on that or have anyof you had problems with a 1 yr med card? Also wednesday i had a root canal done and got vicodin for a prescription which ofc i have the bottle, all i do is bring it when i take the piss test right so they can see i have a prescription for it? Thx guys in advance and srry if im beating a bush asking these question im just trying to clear my thoughts about it.
     
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  3. 123456

    123456 Road Train Member

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    Thank You for your service.

    You have my admiration !!

    In my opinion, the better you can present yourself,

    the better.

    Watch that BP !!!!

    curious, you going over to bay pines VA ?
     
  4. TruckerGsch

    TruckerGsch Medium Load Member

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    I dont understand why they are giving you the physical 2 weeks after you start school. Most do it before you start.
     
  5. Bumpy

    Bumpy Road Train Member

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    You MAY also have to worry about a sleep apnea test;if not now,sooner or later..
     
  6. ArmyGuy

    ArmyGuy Heavy Load Member

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    Well i have lost about 20 lbs in the past 2 months because im really working on being healthy. I dont want to start a new career and have it fall short because of something i didnt do on a health stand point. I take weekend classes and i think they do the physical on week 2 because they get paid before you have a problem that could end your career short. Anyways im not unhealthy just have this bp issue which is a pain. Thx for the comments so far i do appreciate them.
     
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  7. 123456

    123456 Road Train Member

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    Good Job on the weight loss.

    Hang in there !!!
     
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  8. HD_Renegade

    HD_Renegade Road Train Member

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    Just an opinion, maybe take an aspirin the night before, and one in the morning to thin your blood out. Stay away from salt, sugar and caffeine before hand. Just drink water until after the BP test.
     
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  9. ArmyGuy

    ArmyGuy Heavy Load Member

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    thx for the advice guys .
     
  10. passingtrucker

    passingtrucker Light Load Member

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    Hello ArmyGuy;
    To understand ANY new venture you get into, always look at it from a business management perspective. Trucking is a service industry. We provide the service of getting products from point A to point B. Management identifies and minimizes the risk factors that hurts business. DOT physical is a combination of meeting federal mandate laws and screening out newbies who are accidents waiting to happen. The fact that you mentioned weight and BP issues puts you in a higher level of risk factor. OTR trucking will expose you to a degree of pressure, long duty hours, and time away from family. The separation from home & family in itself creates another layer of stress and pressure. Your military training will help you cope with these pressures. Your military background is the only reason you were accepted as a newbie driver trainee; it implies you have self discipline. Anyone else who submits an application with the health issues you mentioned (minus the military background) would've been rejected.
    When you begin to travel OTR with a trainer, take notice the number of overweight OTR drivers at truckstops. This is a subtle clue emotional depression is widespread among OTR drivers, which is why driver recruiters target applicants with military background. People with self discipline are better able to cope with emotional depression. Excess food intake leading to overweight is a symptom of depression. Depression can also lead to excess alcohol drinking and illicit drug use to forget reality and escape their problems for the moment.
    When you get your weight and BP within acceptable range, keep it there by living a healthy lifestyle while being an OTR driver. Stay away from the buffet table, or at least load up on low-fat, low-calorie selections [soup-n-salad bar for example]. Park at a distance from the truckstop to force yourself into walking for exercise. Watching your diet and light exercise like walking are investments in being a trucker until you're ready to retire, instead of being forced into early retirement because you can't pass your DOT medical exam.
    If becoming a truck driver is your stepping stone to eventually becoming an O/O [owner operator], stay on the eastern half of the USA. The western half is dominated by Hispanic owner operators who are willing to haul the freight for less $$. In California, a lot of Hispanics with valid CDL speaks little or no English. This is because California and some western states accepted fake social security cards and fake birth certificates when Latino Hispanics applied for a CDL. These Hispanics don't have a TWIC card because a thorough background check will reveal they have a history of being deported by INS. In light of political efforts to open the borders to legalize the Mexican CDL and allow Mexican truckers access to the continental USA, I strongly advice you should not become an O/O.
     
  11. GasHauler

    GasHauler Master FMCSA Interpreter

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    To be disqualified from driving for high BP the rules read, has no clinical diagnosis of high blood pressure likely to interfere with his or her ability to operate a CMV safely. That what the FMCSR's say on §391.41(b)(6). I don't think you have a problem.

    As far as the prescription goes you're walking a fine line here. Take the bottle with you. Keep it away from everyone. Take the drug test, I doubt the tester will take any information of drug use or I should say they shouldn't, and wait. The company doctor or MRO should contact you if the test is positive and ask you if you've been prescribed any medication. That's when you show the bottle. If you stop talking the pills after a few days they will be out of you system and no worry. Don't hang on to them for other pain issues. That will get yoo into a heap of trouble. You should have only gotten a couple of pills anyway so an empty bottle would be best.
     
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