CDL in hand... Now What ? Decision time, that's what...

Delivered the four stainless steel coils about an hour earlier than my appointment. Had to back the truck inside their building. Not too difficult except a little hard to see the inside of the building in the mirrors because of the bright sunshine. There must have been 1,000's of big coils in that huge building. There was another company driver who arrived just after me, but his appointment was before mine, so I let him go in front of me. We helped each other with tarps, bungees, and chains to make it go faster. Synergy through teamwork

After sending the empty call, within 20 minutes I received a relay assignment out of Gary, IN going to Portland, TN. A single coil this time, at about 33000 pounds. This load was was picked up by another driver and left at the Gary terminal. I just had to check the securement, tighten the binders a little, and get the tarp tight. I am now at a rest area on I-65 a bit north of Indianapolis, IN. My delivery appointment is for 13:30 tomorrow so I'll get up early and drive the remaining 5.5 hours in the morning.

While I was at Gary, a guy from Mid-State (a contracted company that works on Internationals I think) did a computer update to my engine. Took about 5 minutes and supposedly prevents unnecessary 'check engine' light illuminations. So we got that going for us. Which is nice.

 

One other Roehl driver and I were the only ones there to be unloaded. We were both early and they got us done early. The timing worked out well.

 

Roehl uses a third party medical facility called CompCare, which has multiple locations and affiliates throughout the country. They will set you up with an appointment near your home. This will be an independent DOT medical screen sponsored and paid for by the company.

In my case, I decided that disclosure of my medical history in the specific case of my surgery could have a bearing on the physical activity required in flatbedding. Plus the surgical scar, although not terribly obvious, would be noticed by any reasonably competent doctor. This item of my medical history was determined by the company safety department to be a slight risk, so they required that I get a medical clearance signed by my primary care physician. This was no problem, it just took some extra time and delayed my orientation by a week. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

So the answer to your question is that I voluntarily disclosed the information.

You will need to decide what to put on your medical form when you go in for the exam.

 

The seat moves up very close to the steering wheel and it goes up and down with the air controls. The steering wheel also tilts and extends quite a lot more than a car or pickup.

My guess is that the more modern trucks have been designed to accommodate the many different sizes and shapes of drivers out there.

I doubt that your height will be a problem. Maybe you can find a truck dealer nearby to go check them out.

 

Most shippers and consignees have restrooms available and so far all have been very accommodating to my requests to use them. After hours, well, for guys obviously it's a little easier to do #1. An empty Gatorade bottle could come in quite handy... As to whether I employ this tactic... well... no comment...

Maybe a wide-mouth Nalgene bottle is a possibility for a female #1... Perhaps a close-able hospital type container would be better. I think I have seen these in the bigger drug store chains...

I have seen other women posting on this forum that they do or plan to bring a porta-potty in the truck. I can't imagine a company that would specifically list this item as not allowed in the truck.

 

Thank you for the compliments and I am glad you have found this thread helpful. I wish you all the best as you pursue your chosen path.

Perpetual.

 

Delivered the big coil of steel sheet early this afternoon. It said on the paperwork that it will eventually become an automobile.

Next load assignment is picking up some aluminum rolls in Russellville, KY and taking them to Chicago. They have been loaded, secured and tarped on the trailer. However, I am still at the shipper as my hours are done for today. Will be up early with a long drive ahead tomorrow.