New driver in NC

Discussion in 'The Welcome Wagon' started by PhoenixTJ, Aug 20, 2020.

  1. PhoenixTJ

    PhoenixTJ Bobtail Member

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    Aug 13, 2020
    Utah
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    Hi all, just wanted to introduce myself, and tell you my story of how I got into truck driving as a career. I'm a relatively recent truck driving school grad (ATDS in Elm Mott, Texas), and getting ready to start orientation with USA Truck next Monday.

    I graduated from NCSU in 2005, and have spent a lot of my work life since then in offices. I did well in school (top 5% of my high school class), so I always got steered toward more academic pursuits, and I've struggled with what doctors call "chronic fatigue syndrome" for about 20 years, so I was never interested in trade work because of the physical energy needed.

    In 2017, I had a serious flare-up of my condition, and lost the ability to continue working, leaving my wife as our sole provider. My doctors were never able to discover the cause of my condition on their own, but through my own detective work, research, and consumer lab testing, I learned in 2019 that our apartment (which had been flooded before we moved in) was the most likely cause for my long illness: there are numerous toxic bacteria and molds that proliferate in water-damaged buildings, and those toxins are the problem for people like me. We'd moved into that apartment in January 2017, and I gave notice to quit in August 2017 after months of decline. A consultation with a specialist in "chronic inflammatory response syndrome", or CIRS for short, confirmed what I believed to be the problem. It seems that I have an unfortunate combination of genes that predispose me for this illness, but at least I finally know what's been going wrong for all these years.

    With a diagnosis, we moved to a different apartment (upstairs this time!) But we brought a lot of contaminated stuff with us, so I didn't really get better (mattresses and any upholstered furniture are notorious reservoirs for those mold and bacterial toxins). In October 2019, we bought a new travel trailer and moved in full-time, and I finally started to turn around.

    At the time, we lived in Provo, Utah, which is quite cold in the winter. I found myself starting to decline again as the weather turned cold. It turns out that many people with CIRS don't do well in cold weather when they're still sick. So in January, we decided that I needed to move somewhere warmer, and that my wife, a teacher, would move to join me at the end of the school year. We felt good about the Waco, Texas area, so I moved with the camper to a RV park nearby, while she stayed with her parents. Interestingly, the park was about two miles from ATDS.

    I noticed improvements almost immediately. I had more energy, less pain, better mood, and a clearer mind than I had for a long time. I was able to spend a lot of time outdoors, and that just seemed to make things even better! One of my neighbors was a construction contractor, and invited me to come help him with a job he was doing. I was finally able to work a bit again! But after two weeks of this work, the COVID-19 situation -- or at least the hype about it -- was getting pretty serious. Also, the house we were working on was old and damp, and probably provoking my illness, and my neighbor was an impatient supervisor, so I quit the construction job.

    I had been thinking for months that, when I finally got well enough, truck driving would be a great line of work for me because I would be working and sleeping in a truck cab where I'd have lots of outdoor air. My father was a diesel mechanic, so I grew up around big trucks. No intimidation there. As luck would have it, truck driving schools were considered "essential" in Texas, whereas in Utah they'd all been shut down, so the move to Texas was timely (I think God's hand was involved there). I enrolled at the ATDS right down the road in March, and got my CDL in April. I wasn't quite able to get the hang of downshifting for stops and turns, so I have an automatics-only restriction, which I hope to be rid of once I've developed my other skills.

    My wife had absolutely no luck finding a job in the Waco area, and neither of us have family in Texas, so after I had my CDL, there didn't seem to be much point in staying. With a lot of prayer, we decided to move to North Carolina (wet and moldy though it is!) to be closer to my side of the family for a time. Now my wife has a job here and we're all settled, and it's time for me to start bringing home some of the bacon. I'm so excited to finally be working again!!!
     
    born&raisedintheusa and Chinatown Thank this.
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  3. Numb

    Numb Crusty Curmudgeon

    3,367
    6,519
    Jan 30, 2012
    Charlotte, N.Carolina
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    wet and moldy?

    well, bless your heart!!

    we may be wet, but moldy??

    reread your post. oops, misunderstood.

    ;)
     
  4. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

    68,027
    142,273
    Aug 28, 2011
    Henderson, NV & Orient
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    Best wishes in your new career. If you get sick again, move to the southwest where it's warm/hot and very low humidity. Mold needs humidity.
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2020
    born&raisedintheusa Thanks this.
  5. Bro_Dave

    Bro_Dave Medium Load Member

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    414
    Nov 5, 2013
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    I too have struggled with fatigue in the past and this is what I do: If I feel fatigued I go to bed one hour early and continue to do so until my fatigue improves. So if your normal bedtime is 10 O'clock, go to bed at 9. It may take awhile, but it's what's worked for me.
     
  6. FiveBlueStarsllc

    FiveBlueStarsllc Bobtail Member

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    Jul 13, 2020
    0
    whats your experince on OTR?
     
  7. halfassdriver

    halfassdriver Light Load Member

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    30
    Aug 12, 2011
    Charleston, SC
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  8. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

    68,027
    142,273
    Aug 28, 2011
    Henderson, NV & Orient
    0
    Lyme disease has those symptoms.
     
  9. Bro_Dave

    Bro_Dave Medium Load Member

    470
    414
    Nov 5, 2013
    0
    Yes, I tested positive for the antibodies for lyme disease.
     
    Chinatown Thanks this.
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