Newbie FAQ

Hello tgosurf. I am new to the truck driving industry. I have been a Union electrician by trade for the past eleven years. A friend and I tried to get into the lineman's apprenticeship, but I could not get in to the apprenticeship on my first try. I hit a huge roadblock. Question #22 of your FAQ addresses my situation.

I have been a Type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetic since February of 1983. When I went to have my D.O.T. physical, I was rejected due to my controlling my diabetes with insulin. That doctor did tell me that he had heard of an exemption program for people, such as myself, but he didn't think that there were many T1's that have/had been exempted. I checked into the program, through the FMCSA's website and gave them a call. At that time, you had to leave a message and they would return your call within about 1-2 days. I spoke with a Diabetes Exemption rep., Diana (whom I just found out is not with the program anymore), and she explained what I would have to do for the exemption process. I had to print out the application from the website and that was the easy part.

My next step was to fill out my portion of the application. Then, I had to complete three more steps before mailing it in. I had to make three appointments. 1) I had to go to my endocrinologist and have them fill out a portion of the application. Then 2), I had to do the same with an opthmalogist. (I have a history of diabetic retinopathy. Otherwise, I could have just seen an optometrist.). 3) I had to go to a ME and have a regular D.O.T. physical. On the ME's certificate, they have to mark the box that says, "accompanied by a ________ waiver/exemption" with diabetes. It can take up to 180 days to get the determination, as once the "Program" is satisfied that all of the Ts are crossed and the Is are dotted correctly (trust me, they are very particular), they post your application to the Federal Register, for public comment, for a period of 30 days. After the 30 day period, they will finally issue you a two year Federal Diabetes Ememption. I was lucky enough to only have to wait about 4 months. After I received my exemption, the Pennsyvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, awarded me with a grant to attend a truck driving school. I attended the school and passed my Class A CDL driving test about three and a half weeks later!

Having a diabetes exemption takes a lot of hard work in controlling the disease. I have to have a D.O.T. physical annually, visit my endocrinologist every three months, and my opthmalogist every year as well. It's worth it to me though. I can always have something to fall back on during times like now, where construction is very slow, and I am looking for a steady paycheck.

Coincidentally, I did get two attempts at making it through the lineman's boot camp (pole climbing). However, I was unable to pass the pole climbing test. I was called for a long term job and driving was put on the back burner. I was laid off from that job and went to another one that was supposed to last a good two years. It lasted 2 months. After that, I got my first gig as a driver. I drove a 53' dry van, hauling Rubbermaid containers. It was a no touch, D&H operation. I did that for about a month and got called back to my electrical job. Now, I'm unemployed again, but I had an interview yesterday with a local flat-bed company and it looks promising.

I look forward to checking out a lot of the forums on this site. Thanks!

 

THanks for this useful thread

 

No problem!

 

Basically, you need to pass a test on General Knowledge, Air Brakes, and Combinations. They aren't difficult but you will need to study for at least 10 hours or so after reading the material. Try to get your hands on some practice tests- $50 buys you three attempts. You need the permit before you are allowed to drive with supervision- think of it as being the same as a learner's permit for a car.

 

Thanks that was very helpfull but what about luggage how many pieces should i bring i have a 4 set and when i get out of cdl school and get a trainer what happens to the luggage then?

 

i would recommend getting a collapsible duffle type bag , take clothing for warm and for cold weather , i wouldn't take more than a two week supply. And you don't want a big load if you for some reason have to catch a plane home you don't want a u haul full. If your team driving you will be sharing a sleeper with a co driver so space to store your stuff becomes more of a premium. You can alway do laundry in a truck stop or find a laundry mat in town near a spot you can park your truck while washing your clothes... Alot of your needs will be dictated by what kind of haul your on , type of work, duration of a trip or how long your out before home time. I always carry a change of nice clothes so if i wanna stop in a nice place or visit friends and go out for dinner i can dress nice , not formal but nice casual. You will figure out what your needs are once you hit the road.... I also recommend dressing nice, as you not only represent yourself , your company but the trucking industry in general... It does not help anyone when your looking like a scroungy bum or a friggin gang banger it gives us all a bad name.... Take pride and make us all proud.

 

I've been using the "search" function to try to find out more about home time. I realize the "standard" of drive for six days and off for one. I'm curious about something I read on "TruckingTruth.com".
The guy states that, "The other concern with regard to company size is how much your company counts on you. At a large company if you'd like to take some time off nobody really cares. I've taken MONTHS off at times and simply been told, “ok just turn your truck in to the terminal and let us know when you're ready to return and we'll get ya goin.” page 26 That sounds pretty great but I am quite skeptical about that. I've searched, vacation time, time off and I can't find any info about this. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

 

the answer your gonna get the most from other drivers here is you wanna work or you wanna stay home. There is a thing called no forced dispatch. If your out for a while and wanna take a few days or a week your not forced to take a load , but don't be suprised if the company puts someone else on your truck till your ready to go again or they just replace you. Most outfits want someone who wants to work, and alot of them are very accomodating about home time so you can have your family life.... Depends on who you work for.... You want lots of home time , then otr is not the place to be looking for a job.... I am driving a rock truck right now, all the home time i want. Every nite i snuggle up to mama. If i have to go on the road , its no problem too.... You need to decide what you wanna do then go after a job in that particular field... From personal experience in the short time i have been here in this site , your gonna get alot more accurate info here than in trucking truth which is geared more to student drivers and wannabe's
good luck to ya and happy trails, god speed and bless you and yours...

 

So I live in South Dakota and we have had very bad weather the past few days. Yesterday I went from Fargo to Sioux Falls and noticed several trucks in the ditch. We went 30 mph for a good 35 miles along the interstate.

I had some questions on truckers and predicting weather.

How do most truckers get the weather information? Does this method vary depending on the size of the trucking company and the resources they can provide? For example does an individual owner operator just rely on the Weather Channel via smart phone? Also do large companies such as Swift or Werner provide some sort of support system over the radio?

Any information would be great. I would imagine truckers have some sort of resource a regular auto driver such as myself is without.

Thanks

 

I just got my CDL and I'm doing the research to make the right decision on which company to work for. What I have culled is that it's a crap shoot if you get a good match with a company, all companies treat their new hires like dirt because a lot of new hires quit, and you have to put up with a lot of bull hockey until you find a good dispatcher. Is that about right?

I am almost regretting my decision to get my CDL. I do not need this career path, but I love being on the road. I don't tolerate disrespectful and degrading attitudes very well. I understand that negative opinions are more frequently posted than positive experiences and am trying to temper my worries with that in mind. I really want to avoid a horrible first year experience. Money is not as important as being well treated or minimally, not poorly. I am basically a happy person and I want to keep that. I also understand that life is what you make of it. If you ever see a person laughing 'til she cries, that's me...if I make it that far!