Is this common?

Read Post #5 again before you leave for the physical.

 

Yep. DOT Phys and repeat and repeat and repeat.

That DOT Phys has no value. Repeat and repeat. Get used to it.

You will find everything you do has no value in this industry until THEY (This "They" meaning the insurance people who decide who to hire or not...) say it's ok in each little company.

 

Based on what I am hearing from recent grads of these schools it depends on who paid for the school. If it was a company sponsored school the company paid for the physical there at the school and will take you right into orientation without another physical. However I am more concerned about your blood pressure. Why is it elevated? Please do whatever you have to do to get it down. Lose weight, watch your sodium/processed food intake etc etc. These physicals are a part of life for truckers. You can count on one every two years (sometimes less). When you boil it all down all you really have left is your health. Lose that and you have lost everything.

 

What weight would that be? I was at 265 a couple years ago, managed to get it down to 180 or so. Im still working on it but essentially hit a wall. 170 would be perfect, but I think a little pudge here and there wont hurt this winter.

 

That is pretty good. You wont get much better than that. I run about 132/78 if I have coffee and a meal before it. Otherwise it's 120/65 without. They had me at 85 over 45 in the hospital a couple months ago battling detox one week and I was bordering on passing out that low. It was not a good night. A cup of coffee boosted it back to 110/60. I had to fight em for it.

In my 20's I was a big time smoker. I carried something like 150 over 100 or so in really bad days, they would laugh me out of that DOT office. I finally learned not to smoke, or eat the morning prior to DOT test and passed at that time normal range. I was only about 140 soaking wet. A runt. My brother was 400... along with my uncles and cousins... I actually liked being a runt, knew it will help in the future when trucking was finished.