how to get back in the game

I tried getting back into driving last year after 7 years off the road and ran into the same problems. One company I had driven for did make an effort, and I even knew a driver of theirs that was willing to run with me for a week or two at the start. Their insurance company wouldn't let them bring me back. I guess there was a reason in my case though, as I found out shortly after that I have disc degeneration in two discs in my lower back (don't need surgery yet, but will at some point in the future), and bursitis and tendonitis in my right (shifting) shoulder (typical of my luck). Glad to see that it is possible, even though I won't be able to drive again.

 

Okay,

After a little more than two weeks on the road I have learned, the 14 hour rule is BS and if you use all 11 hours you have a day to drive you will have to shut down because you will run out of hours! (your company ain't going to like that!)

I have learned that most drivers under these new rules are "recreating" log sheets every day to gain work time and/or shorten their work day to start their 10 hour break earlier to get back on the road. For me, 10 hours is too long to have to sit, if I sleep for 6, I'm ready to go. And counting sleep or off duty time as part of a 14 hour day almost forces you to change your book at the end of the day to pick up valuable work hours. I have spoken to a number of drivers at shippers, receivers and truck stops and they all agree, that's why companies are giving drivers loose leaf log pages now. No more pads that DOT can look at to see of sheets have been removed...

The company runs us hard and if I want to make money I have to run hard. When I told a dispatcher I only had 2.75 hours to drive after he told me my pickup was 4-5 hours away, he put me on the phone with the Safety Director and I was told, "be creative"!! I have also found out it is a learning experience to do logs under the new rules, and split logging right now is too ###### confusing!


Roy

 

I have a similar situation..... no recent class "A" experience. Went out and got my own authority and ready to buy a truck and even took a refresher course at a CDL school but only Progressive (so far) is willing to insure me and they have a 500 mile radius which ain't gonna work. I'll keep looking but I'm not real confident at this point. I really want to go independent so going to work for someone else is not an option ( at my age).
Boy am I glad I didn't buy a truck 1st. I never saw this coming.
I could drive it to the grocery store but wouldn't be able to haul cargo.

 

I would want a week of Driver's Solution C-1 training, and I've been out of trucking two years. The one in Indy does that.

 

be care full it your life out here on the road