FMCSA commissions research on truckers’ lower back pain

A lot of company trucks are spec'd with the cheapest possible seat.
They can seem comfortable at first but the difference between a really high end seat and a cheap seat is how long they will stay comfortable during your day and of course how long they will last.

Some seats will have you squirming after just a couple of hours of driving.

Some seats will be completely worn out in a year.

These seats will give you problems in the long run with back pain and other issues.

 

I was woundering how much does it hurt a drivers chances to get hired on if you have been on ssa and ssi for a couple years due to a back injury?
I have a couple years otr and was injured in a non work related accident in 2008 that forced me to go on disibility.
I did not need any surgery on my back and it is completly healed up with no lingering effects and i also have a doctors release to return to work.
should i be concerened with the fact that i havent been abile to work or should i be concerened with the fact that i was on disibility?
How do trucking companies look at situations like the one im in?
Are there any dot regulations that might hurt my chances of passing the psyical and getting hired?
I miss being out on the road...

 

I have pain all over....Does that count.

 

I have been a Driver for many years. And the seats are much better than they use to be. But your seat is only as good as the amount of money the Company you work for wants to spend. I worked as a Dump truck Driver. We drove small day cabs. I am 6ft4. You don't get much leg room in a model 379 Peterbuilt. And my seat was a crappy air ride. with up and down movement only. I could move it forward but my knees hit the wheel with it all the way back, so forward did me no good.
Being tall I had to ride with hardly any air in the seat. Keep in mind I drove off road 30% of the day.
Now 27 years later, I can't drive for more than 25 or 30 minutes without pain in my upper and lower back and neck.
My legs give out when I stand or walk for more than 20 minutes.
And laying down even hurts.
I take 7 different types of pain meds. And Doctors want to do surgery. I have arthritis and narrowing of the spine.

Truck Driving will help pay the bills. But in the long run once you sign on as someone that will lease a truck you are your own boss and the Company you work for has no responsibility to you as a Employee. No workers comp !! Don't be fooled. I am unemployed because of my back problems paying my own Doctor Bills because I was a so called owner operator. Working for a very large Construction Trucking Company in Southern California.

 

If you have back problems you may never get hired if you are honest and tell them, But why would you want to even think about Driving a Truck ? I drove for years. It's a lot of problems left and right. For little money. And if you already have back problems you probably would not last more than a few years before a new back problem came up. I am now using a cane to walk. Just because I chose to be a truck driver.
Do yourself a favor and do something else.