Stevens Transport

Yes you start 8am Sunday. After some paperwork you will either be on the road or on the hill (range) for your first evaluation. I chose to fly from Indiana. My ticket was 225.00 and they covered 200.00 of it.

 

hey butterdog thanks, my recruiter said that next week classes are stratn later like tue i think, bc of the holiday monday, so ill be getn there on sunday and have time to get settled in she said. thats nice for me i guess. im just worried about the whole gap in my employment history thing. she made me get three refrence letters from ppl that i know that arent family. then they will call them and talk to them. i just hope this doesnt stop me from gettn in.

 

As long as you can account for the time it shouldn't be a problem.

 

thanks fozzy, i guess thats why she wanted refrences, to call them and ask them how my work eithic and everything was. i only needed three and i got those to her really quick. i was lookn for work for five months back in 07. she said with the refrences i should be just fine. im hopen so. im ready to get to leave for dallas sat. she said i wont start school monday bc of the holiday, so that gives me two days to kinda of study the cdl manuel more and relax. i just hope im good to go. hey fozzy since i got glasses now do u think ill be ok on the vision part of the physical. was jw. thanks bro.

 

Hi Guys-

I took the physical and drug screen today. I passed all of the testing-drug screening, vision, my BP was 118/68, no blood sugar problem. In other words, perfect health. I might add far better health than most of the people who passed the physical today and went back to class. I'm probably one of the five fittest guys in our class. However, I was failed on my physical. I am taking a medication that the company, NOT the D.O.T., says is unacceptable in their eyes. This is even though I am also currently tapering off of said medication, and have been long before I showed up Monday. I will not go into details here other than to point out that if you read above, you will see that I passed the drug screen. I will also say that the medicine I'm tapering off of which prevents me from passing my physical is not an opiate, not a benzodiazepine, not a hypnotic, and not an amphetamine. I do not now, nor have I in the past been a drug user. I drink a beer on rare occasions. It had nothing to do with alcohol, HBP, high or low blood sugar, or anything of the sort. In short, it's the biggest nothing you can imagine. I can also say that when I showed my personal doctor the disqualification he was as floored as I am.

I did 3 months of research, not just on the health and physical requirements, but about everything related to becoming a truckdriver. I did my homework. I'm a college-educated guy. I went over and over the schedule of prohibited, or even slightly questionable drugs which can be prescribed, both in the DOT requirements, FMCSA regulations and a myriad of other sources to make certain I had no issue whatsoever. I studied the physical requirements to make absolutely certain I was in the best fitness I could be in so I would not have any problems. I go to the gym on a very regular basis. I play competitive baseball. I have a pilot's license, so apparently the FAA thinks I'm safe to fly over populated areas without risk.

I would also like to make very clear that I have no problem with the doc at the company. He is a very nice guy, and he said he would do what he could to help. All he was doing was enforcing the company policy. The nurses were nice too. There are some really good people at the company. My experience, despite this issue, has been very satisfactory.

To say that I was floored would be an understatement. I am now on medical hold and not allowed to continue class at this company until that hold is lifted. I am doing what I can to do as they ask and meet the company standard. However, I have been guaranteed nothing as far as outcome, and I have little, if any, certainty I will be able to go back anytime soon. I'm an eternal optimist, and I will be praying for wisdom, strength, and guidance so that I can back to school and pass the physical.

So, for right now, I'm in limbo. I might be able to resolve this soon, and I might not. I have no idea. I just have to do some more research and meet with my doc to see if I can get the hold lifted in a timely manner.

I wish all of you good luck with whoever you end up with. I'll be in around.....

Boogdaddy

 

wow boog, if u passed everything then how did they fail u. im kinda lost bro. please hit me up man. i dont understand how they would fail u if u passed everything.

 

fozzy,how long were you at stevens before you were in a truck,did you have any truck experience before you went too stevens?

 

hope they did'nt fail you on tylenol,once in a while i might get a toothache

 

I passed all of the requirements like BP, blood sugar, vision, drug screen, etc. The issue is that I was disqaulified to drive because I am on a medication that the company deems not acceptable. I do not feel it's necessary for people to know my personal health business on this forum, let's just say this is a commonly prescribed drug. The company deems the medicine unacceptable despite the fact that there is not one word anywhere in the DOT regualtions or FMCSA, or anywhere else I've found after 3 months of searching that the medication I am on is an issue in truckdriving. I suppose that is their right, it's their $100K truck I'm asking to drive. I just wish I had known and I would have waited to apply until after I was off of this med.

I think my message for everyone here is that you can just never know until you know. Be wary of those on this forum, albeit few, who ill-advisably tell others on here that if a doc prescribes it, it's ok and they can't fail you. They can fail you anytime they want for whatever reason they want. I could fight this ruling, but there is no point. It would cost me a fortune, and I would lose anyway. They have a valid point. Basically, it's their toys you ask to play with, and they can say no for nearly anything at anytime.

The point of my message is that until you've passed your physical on day two, don't go spending that income you think you're going to make. You just have to be patient and not make a dumb mistake. I don't think I made a dumb mistake. I did all the reasearch one could possibly do and still did not find this info listed anywhere. I'm not sure what else I could have done to know this would be a problem.

Next time around, I will consider myself as having passed the hurdles of school when I have my CDL and I step into a truck with a trainer.

 

wow boog that sucks man, i wasnt sure if u was talkn about the (JUICE) i know u said u worked out at the gym. plus they dont check for that anyway that i know of unless u tell the doc u did it. and u said it was a prescribed drup right, so u had to tell them u was on it. wow, this kinda sucks bro, i wish ya the best man. keep tryn bro dont stop just bc of an obstacle in the read ur get there. im just hopen i pass the dot physical, bp is good im just worried about the whole vision part man. would suck to get all the way to texas and not pass.