Married couple wanting to team, we have tons of questions

Your given ages are actually more of an advantage -- rather than a disadvantage.

Fleets prefer drivers who are mature, & responsible -- not the younger bucks (& does) who aren't as mature.

Many of my co-workers are on medications for high blood pressure &/or diabetes -- what matters is that these conditions are controlled.

The anxiety might be a bit more of a problem -- depending on the carrier in question.

In truth -- your biggest problem at this point is that the CDL job market is in the toilet -- particularly for drivers with no previous experience.

You can talk with recruiters as they visit you in your CDL school of choice; one or more will likely pay you a visit at your school, looking for qualified help. Because of the job market's status -- I would not waste my time with that before then.

What is your zip code where you live? If we know that -- we can make better recommendations.

-- L

 

Schneider probably take you, even with the CPAP.
Not sure about the wife being on anxiety medications.

 

1. Not too old
2. As long as you are not insulin controlled
And her meds are not narcotic. There are 5 substances test for
3. Take med perscriptons with
4. Ask questions of recruiters, but just that for now... remember they might be lying if they lips are moving
In other words its doable for both

 

You and the wife can train together in the same truck at the same time with CR England.
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Your age isn't a problem, not sure about your wife's medicine. But my biggest question is do either of you know what you're getting into. I know a lot of people think it's like the family vacation, not so.

 

The above poster ("50WT") is right...I've done refrigerated freight before -- & it's definitely no picnic.

Read my posts in the following Forum thread about what "reefer" freight is REAL-LY like -- & what you can later expect :

57 and starting over need advice

Your takeaway here: don't pigeonhole yourself to just doing reefer freight only -- consider other options, as well.

-- L

 

Both of you get the DOT physical now. Even if you both pass, some companies still have the option to not hire based on their inhouse requirements. The anxiety med can be a problem with some companies because of how someone with anxiety problems may react under stress such as traffic problems or low IQ shippers & receivers screaming and yelling like drunken banshees.

 

Question 1. No - The average age of truckers is 51

Question 2. - As long as your overall health is good you should be okay. The medical conditions that you have listed are a mainstay in the trucking industry
More than 50% of drivers have type 2, High Blood Pressure and use a CPAP machine!!

Question 3. As long as you are treating your conditions as mandated by your Physician, you should be good to go. You may be asked for documentation.
DO NOT VOLUNTEER INFORMATION THAT IS NOT ASKED FOR!


Question 4. I would start one month before your separation dates for your current jobs. Keep a notebook of the companies and recruiters that you talk to that you talk to. Develop a scoring system so that you can compare one company against another. Be prepared for a lot of no's and roadblocks, it's not just you, but the nature of the industry.

I would suggest that you attend the Mid-America truck show in Louisville, KY. It is held every March. It is basically the Super Bowl of Truck Shows. There is always a Recruiting hall with hundreds of companies looking for drivers, along with 100's of venders, trucks and pretty much anything trucking!

Good Luck!

 

Recruiters are useless for getting accurate information. They are car salesmen, not your partner in a career path. If you ask if your truck will have an ice skating rink in it, the recruiter will answer I'll have to check. If you ask "since we both like to ice skate I hope our truck will have an ice rink, do you know if that is true", the answer will be "I think that is true but I'll have to check."

You need to ask current working drivers at any company to describe their pay and conditions and schedules, etc. You will need to search out those drivers. Some good companies will pass your info onto current working drivers at the company for you to ask your questions. Web sites and recruiters will give you no useful info. They will give you vague generalities in which you pour lots of unrealistic assumptions and then the day after you hire on you will never be able to contact the recruiter again. Many recruiters don't work for the company. They work for a group of companies or they just collect a fee for every wannabe they get hired.

THERE IS NO TRUCK DRIVER SHORTAGE. The media is wrong. The media gets it's info from trade associations that want 20 times more drivers so that even the lowest paying company has an endless supply of desperate truck dwellers working for peanuts. Automated truck are NOT almost in service.

If you need to inject insulin you are all but prohibited from driving semi-trucks. If your diabetes is under control by pills, you may be able to drive depending on the specifics of your diabetes and medication. High BP is common. If you are on medication for it you can work but you will be limited to a maximum of 1 year DOT medical card, rather than the 2 year max. You can work a full career with a 1 year card, you will just take twice as many medical exams. If your CPAP use is documented to the satisfaction of the doctor you can get a DOT medical card.

There is no one good place to work. Trucking companies work the way they work and your job is to specifically define what you need or want and then work where that is what the company provides. NOBODY changes the trucking company. Nobody but you knows what you want and need. Drivers can recommend companies they have heard are good or companies they thought were good for their wants and needs, but fitting another driver doesn't mean a company fits you. You have a lot of research to do. You need to imagine the work schedule, pay, conditions, insurance, locations, etc that fit you and then you need to find the companies that provide most of that. You also need to prioritize your wants & needs. If you get A, B, and C, and almost no E, F, G will the abundance of A & B & C make up for no E, F, & G?

On the DOT medical exam, the doctor is not your partner in good health. He is not your advocate for a healthy life. He is not your counselor or personal physician. He is only there to pass you or fail you. He will only know what you write on the DOT forms and what he can see with his eyes. You will give a urine sample and that is only testing for blood sugar. You will be subject to drug tests (THC, Cocaine, amphetamines, opioids, etc) but the urine sample at the DOT exam is not a drug test. If there is ANY drug use in the last 6 moths, don't start the process to get into trucking. Weed, pot, marijuana, cannabis etc may or may not be legal where you live and work IT IS ILLEGAL FOR TRUCKING AND NOBODY NEEDS TO KNOW YOUR OPINION ABOUT IT. The rules are the rules and you eaither pass the test or fail the test or refuse the test, which has same impact as failing the test.