Question about trucking company policies for being drug free

I'm only going to cite this for an example because you made the mistake of listening to advice.

I have good friends who served with me and have served in combat over the years. Like myself, some came back seeking some help for 'issues' they were struggling with following combat. Many, like myself, were turned away and to this very day, I'm bittersweet because the VA let me down.
My friends who pursued the avenues of hoping to find treatment for ptsd and other 'psychological crisis' are now finding that they cannot purchase a firearm to protect themselves, cannot even own one, let alone get a concealed carry permit.
In your case, a doctor sent you into an abyss without ever considering the consequences of his recommendations. I'd be tempted to sue him being as mad as I am about what he 'suggested' you do on your forms. He basically kicked you to the curb.
Sometimes it is better to take the side of covert and rational behavior rather than to commit to written confessions that can destroy your future.

I feel your pain and, for reasons like yours, never 'consult' with my physicians who document everything on computers.

Think of life as an open book and everyone who can screw up your life is reading it.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU INCLUDE IN YOUR BIOGRAPHY.

Just sayin.

Good luck and take my message to heart. I'm not 63 years old and cynical because people are nice. I'm what I am because I see the potential for harm.

 

138 is a bit high but can fluctuate with stress. The concern is more with the resting pressure you had of 88. 90 is the lowest 'stroke' pressure and you're dangerously close to that.

(Former Navy Hospital Corpsman, EMT/Paramedic and typical 'Rescue Ranger' for about 25 years).

 

yeah you shouldn't tell your doctor that's giving you your physical for trucking that kinda info, maybe could tell your family doctor but im not sure

 

You learned a hard lesson here and I hope other new drivers don't make your mistake and will do some research before committing to such a big career change. If a company finds out (and it looks like most will) you're in for a very tough road. No one can tell you that one company will hire you and others will not. What I can tell you is that you stand NO chance if you're filling out applications on line. All those companies do is take all the information and hire the best reported driver. They do that before they even see you. Your first problem is the time span without work. The companies want to know where you were and if it goes too long you'll need to go to a refresher course. That's dictated by the insurance company. The cost is depended on the school. Get on-line and check refresher training so you can have an idea.

To answer your questions I believe you'll need to seek out each company and talk with them. I would forget the mega carriers because they take what's best on paper. So if they have a driver (like yourself) they'll just replace you instead of taking any time or spending any money to help you. If I were you I'd hit the bricks and talk with smaller companies and explain what has happened. You might get lucky and find a job and then you can rebuild your record to move on to better jobs. Or you might even find a good company. You never know until you go out and find out yourself. Any way you go about it you're going to find the process is very difficult. Good luck and check everything out before you commit.

 

another thing is you most likely will get hassled a lot if dot has that kind of information on you already. Canada runs are another big opportunity to lose time and miles getting shook down to the max for that type of stuff.

 

go to another doctor and get a new physical and don't say anymore than you have to.
Just FYI, I don't think DOT knows anything, they don't even have a drug test clearing house yet.
apply for your new job and don't mention swift. Get ahold USIS and get a copy of your DAC just to make sure.
The meaning of life is what you make of it, and also where there is a will there is a way.

 

My advice to you is to wait for that doctor to get off work and break his legs!! But keep in mind that you will have trouble finding a trucking job for about 10 years after you do that. But it might be worth it. That really sucks!! As a former lover of mother nature I would like to say I'm sorry you have to go through this.

Was it the doctor that swift sent you to? Or was it just a doctor you picked to get your med card? Did you give dates of your last use? If not I would do what chinatown said to do and tell them it was something that you did a long time ago and something you really frown on now.

Ok, now I'm gonna say some things that I know other people will eventually say. Even though I know you don't want to hear it. But at least i will be nice about it.
Please make sure that you are ready to do this! It's ridiculous for them to think that someone couldn't stop smoking and drinking to do something that they really want to do. I'm proof of that. I smoked every day and loved it!! I wish I could still do it but I want to be a truck driver more. Now I've been clean for a few years. I put some time between my old life and trucking because I wanted to be sure I was serious about it. It's a good idea to get some clean time under your belt to make sure you are serious. Driving a truck is not something to play around with. You need to be clean and focused.

This may be a blessing in disguise. Keep yourself clean and don't go back to your old lifestyle. A year will fly by. Then you can get a new medical card and be good to go. And you will be cofident that you are ready to do this. If you got into trucking now and slipped up one night when you were stressed or bored it could ruin your driving career forever!! Believe me, when I first stopped I slipped up a few times. If I jumped the gun and got a job it's possible that I could of ruined everything! But now I'm positive that life is behind me. And my life is so much better for it. And I'm finally 100% ready!

As far as the cdl and the time gap. I hate to say it but you probably did waste your money. Again, just like me. I got my cdl 20 years ago and failed a drug test for a crappy trucking company thats out of business now. Luckily that was way before dac. I ended up doing other jobs where I could get high and no one would care. Now I look back and I'm so glad that I didn't get into trucking then. I wasn't even close to ready! If I stayed in it my cdl would be so messed up right now there is no way that I could have a healthy career driving a truck. But because I got out of it after that, now that I'm more mature and know how big the responsibility is, my license and my name are clean. I will have to do the same as you. Either go back through school again or go to work for a company that has a school. But thats the price I have to pay to do what I wanted to do. So I accept it.

Just slow down, make sure you are making the right choice, consider this a blessing in disguise and then do what you got to do to get what you really want! It will work out for you if it was meant to be.



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Please tell me you did NOT just recommend the buel inc out of South Carolina? Although they give drivers a second chance last I knew they were all lease operators. Seems like every time I'm at NMC they have a broke down buel truck there as well getting fixed at the lease drivers expense.

I guess when you need a second chance you have to go where you have to go but my in my book. Carolina cargo and buel are as bad as Werner, and CRE just a smaller fleet. That's just my opinion on the matter.

 

You're right, if you want to work, you go where the jobs are. A few months down the road, move on. Buel Inc. and Carolina Cargo are actually much better than Werner and CRE, because they give those drivers employment.