Life had knocked down 44-year-old Joe Schafer pretty hard. He’d been a tow truck driver for most of his life, and when his leg had to be amputated due to complications with his diabetes, he was able to keep driving using his prosthetic. When he lost his second leg, he wasn’t able to continue. But now, despite all the odds against him, Schafer is currently employed as a Class A driver.
After losing his second leg, he was able to find sporadic work as a dispatcher at an auto shop, but was never able to hold down a full time job. For years, he and his family lived off of his wife’s income as a pharmacy technician and his social security checks, but they were stretched too thin.
Deciding that enough was enough and that he had to get back to work somehow, Schafer decided to apply for trucking jobs. He went to a CDL school and earned his class A license. He got a doctor’s waiver for both his diabetes and his prosthetics and passed a skill performance evaluation.
According to the head of the training program at the school, four other amputees had previously completed the course, but it still wasn’t easy. When he completed school, he applied around to different trucking companies and was able to find a spot at Western Express.
Schafer says that he’s concerned about leaving his wife, stepdaughter and son at home while he does his 2-week OTR orientation, but despite only earning $375 a week for those first two weeks, thinking about those pay checks makes it worth it.
“The thought of how much money I’ll be making now compared to my Social Security checks, well, I’m OK sitting in a truck,” he said.
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Source: Morning Call
I wish this guy all the best. Hang in there bro.
I hope he gets his experience and get out because western express known for getting drivers to orientation then terminated them due to their illness. I’m one of those drivers after they got me in a bus from miami, fl to nashville, tn for one week orientation then 5 days with a trainer safety called me in their office and told me that I am being terminated because I have a hip replacement which I got when I was in Iraq and my unit got ambushed I asked why wasted my times for an entire week when you could easily told me from the start you won’t hire me and their response was “you have a nice day and good luck to you” they could not give me an answer and found also at the bus station 4 more drivers got terminated for the same reason.
Sorry to hear about your experience. It’s pretty much fact that, proportionately, the trucking business has more ROTTEN players than virtually any other business. Thank you for your service and good luck in the future!
Blessings to this guy for having a warrior spirit. He deserves a lot of respect. Goes to show that when there is a will there is a way.
Sir, I wish you all of the best. When you read such stories about how people overcome such problems like he has, it makes you realize your individual situations just might not be that bad.Good luck for the future.
So good to tread a good news story….I wish him all the best….
I wish you all the best Joe, I too am an amputee from serving in my countries military (Not US but with or on behalf of a US mil lead operation). I was the same & have had difficulty retaining jobs since leaving the military as an amputee. In 2004 whilst visiting a fellow ex pat countrymen now driving OTR in US I spent 15 days out with him as a rider & as I had all my licence requirements in my own country from the military, & had driven prior to being an amputee I decided I wanted to see if I could also do it. I was offered a chance in 2005 when my friend transferred to CalArk out of Little Rock Arkansas & the company agreed to apply & got me a temporary work visa. I was informed it was all at my own cost & risk & that I would need to gain the necessary qualifications & medical clearances & pass the same Skills Performance Evaluation that Joe has. I drove OTR in lower 48 for approximately 18 months between 2005 & 2008. I loved it, & was just as safe, skilled & professional as any other safe, skilled, experienced professional driver out there. I would do it again in a heartbeat if it was possible to gain a visa & job opportunity again. I wish you all the best Joe & if it does not work out at Western Express I know CalArk have employed disabled people in the past as I wasn’t the only amputee at the company during my tenure.
When the company physical calls for doing deep knee bends to inspect under a trailer, or carrying 50 pounds and lifting it up above head height – these are the little details that the recruiters never tell you about- well, anyway, I am glad Western Express is named here, because if they try to dump this guy, the media should hold their feet to the fire.