deboer weight limits

You can get mad... but you won't accomplish much.

Fact is, FMCSA is working on adopting new fitness regulations as we sit here eating powdered donuts and drinking chocolate milk.

Regulations will target obese drivers, when I say obese I am saying what the American health standard considers obese at the time they actually implement the law.

I will search and post the notice I read not too long ago on FMCSA website.

So yeah, Deboer and the others are jumping early.

However I think the law won't be enforced/implemented until they get the full flow of mexican trucking companies into the states as to not hurt the economic wealth of the owners of corporations.

I'm over-weight so don't take it the wrong way when I say get busy losing the pounds or find yourself taking back seat to the south of the border drivers.

 

Heck I wasn't even much interested in them. I emailed them after reading this thread. They do have some traffic lanes that I like but there pay is low. It's just hard to not take it personal.
I don't have a problem with guidlines of some sort. I see guys that I have no idea ho they can even walk ad they are driving. But there has to be a better way than the BMI. I've had run ins with the ol BMI index in the past and that's probably why this has me as mad as it does.

 

All driven by frivolous lawsuits and insurance companies. When are they gonna start doing genetic screening and discriminating against people whose great grandfather had heart disease? Cancer in the family? Sorry... no job for you. Yep... pisses me off too.

 

Oh I have too... lol.

I've seen guys crawl/roll out of their truck and you can almost see a smile form on the truck

There was this one guy in El Paso I watched take a total of 3 breaks walking from his truck to the fuel desk to pay for his fuel. That guy then walked to the deli and got 4 HUGE burittos (sp?) and a 2 litter drink of which I suspect were gone before he exited the truck stop.

I've seen others as I'm sure everyone has that leaves you wondering exactly what type of drugs the medical examiners were taking when they gave them their physicals?

I have an even better question, where can I get some of what they were on? Just kidding!

 

MedicineMan is obviously not one of those types. It's absolute BS when all they take into consideration is a number advocated by the insurance company.

 

oh no doubt, I wasn't implying any such thing.

Yes it makes me mad to think our way of making a living all boils down to some little number that takes nothing else into consideration.

There are people who work out on a daily basis who fall over dead with a heart attack.

I understand one who is obese might have a better chance of an attack, but how would you know with just a BMI reading?

 

And I wasn't implying you were

But because they are the 'picture of health', they get the job. Heck, even some people with incredibly high cholesterol readings never have a heart attack.

I don't think our government and big corporations will be satisfied until they've outsourced every last job in America.

 

I saw guy at the flying J buffet. this guys calves were each a foot wide. He carried 4 PLATES of food to the table (apparently he didn't want to wind himself getting up for too many plates) he sat down on TWO chairs!!! Being a fairly good sized guy myself, it's scenes like this that make me NEVER eat at the buffet.

I have a good friend I used to work out with alot. He was more into it than I was. he went on to be a semi profesional body builder. His BMI was over 60% and there wasn't an ounce of fat n the guy.

According to the BMI calculator I'd have to loose over 80 pounds to get to 40%

 

I'd have to gain 7 pounds to be considered normal weight. My BMI according to the calculator is 17.6

I don't think there's any amount of food I could eat to gain 7 pounds. Nor any amount of weights I could lift that would bulk me up. I firmly believe your weight is decided from the point of conception.

There are things overweight people can do to get to a more 'so-called normal weight... but sometimes I think it does more harm than good. I worked with a guy who had a gastric bypass. Even when he was over 400 lbs, he was an active guy that could literally throw his weight around in ways that defied logic. He was one though that hid his 400 lbs pretty well. After his surgery and losing about 200 lbs, he always appeared sickly and wasn't anywhere near as active.

Me on the other hand, short of getting cast iron implants... everything I eat goes in one end and out the other. I tried to gain weight one time by seriously upping my calories to 7000 per day. Besides meals and protein drinks, I'd eat 4 or 5 Hostess lemon pies every day (510 calories each). For all my bloating, I gained three pounds and sat on the toilet a good portion of the day.

I say they should park an old COE outside the recruiting office. If you can climb up in it, you're hired.

 

it's that prejudice that bothers me. I'm big, I'm strong, I've played sport, worked construction and untill recently I owned and worked asphalt for 8 hours then went and drove truck 6 to 8 hours a night.

I just wanted to say that because this is the last email I got from deboer

Quote:
Allen, I will make one final closing statement. Although you may be physically capable of driving the truck, are you able to climb in and out of the trailer, and if needed tailgate the freight, and or unload it? Can you walk across the parking lot without needing to stop and rest, can you regularly lift your arms above your head? We are an irregular route carrier, are your sleeping patterns adjustable? These are a few of our company's driver qualifications. We see a lot of drivers who apparently are not concerned about their health, therefore we have to be, and we have to protect our and the drivers best health interest. As for finding a DR that will sway a health decision, I will differ with you, The majority of health care facilities we use are industrial clinics, and health care professionals. This the year 2008 not 1958, we are concerned about the health and well being of our drivers, as should be obvious to you, and I definitely want to know up front what their health risk is. Either you are qualified or you are not, of course you will find a company to hire you, regardless of your state of health, but we are not one of them. The definition of discrimination is "treating likes differently" You are not the exception here, but the rule, our standards apply to anyone and all who are interested in driving for us. I wish you good luck in your driving pursuit and with your health.

Lawrence (Larry) C. H. CDS CDT
Director of Safety
deBoer Transport Inc.
(phone number removed by MM)

-----Original Message-----
From: Allen S
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 6:20 PM
To: ***********************
Subject: Re: regional runs

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You see, it sound more to me like you are discriminating against overweight people in order to keep your insurance premiums down. You can find a doctor to pass or fail anyone you want, that's business. I've driven and had a spectacular career for almost 13 years now and I've never been down to 40%bmi. And I have never failed a dot physical.
Knowing that you are discriminating based on weight, as the first gentleman told me, I don't think I will put myself in the position to be brought to a terminal only to be told I can't drive because I weigh too much and then be left to find my own way home.