Diabetes and needles ??

A local tanker job right out of CDL school? You would be the luckiest man on the board!

Assuming the lumber is flatbedding, that requires a good bit of training too, and usually smaller local companies only hire experienced because they're not set up to train or really want to. You've got your work cut out for you either way. If you don't know someone, get to know someone soon!

 

I'm a type 2 diabetic. I don't know your situation, but I was severely overweight, had high blood pressure, cholesterol through the roof and hurt everywhere. My doc said I needed to do something immediately. I asked her if it would hurt my job. I'm an o/o and I have more concerns than just loosing my lease. She said my job was the least of my worries and needed to do something for my health or I was going to die. I asked if I needed to go on insulin, she said it wasn't high enough for that yet, but I needed to do something right away. I got online, read about the glycemic index, read everything I could find on diabetes and went to work. I have lost 80 pounds, I still need to loose about 35 more. I eat strictly from the glycemic index, I had to learn to eat to live, not live to eat. I take my medications, take some suppliments, exersize daily, carefully choose my food and have brought my blood sugar levels down to where they should be. My blood sugar was running about 285, it is now about 98, my bp was 148/110, it is now 120/70, cholesterol was 315, now 170, my weight was 300 and is now 220. My point in all this is, don't ever just give up if you are diagnosed with diabetes. Get up and do something about it. There are a lot of us out here who can help you. I will.

 

A valid medical card is required to take a CDL Exam. If you are taking insulin by injection you cannot get a valid medical card, unless you file for the exemption.

The exemption requires documention by the company involved and the quarterly exams by the doctor for the supporting of the status.

There are many companies that are not taking part in this waiver due to the insurance companies and their declining to take part in it.

Most of the issues in trucking are now controlled by insurance companies.

 

Ok, so no driving school either.

Listen, we're all outraged by the industry nonsense, either you can drive or you can't the way I see it. But there are a lot of hoops to jump through these days and you've got a long list of shortcuts that I think are going to make things extra extra difficult for you. At least it doesn't sound like you're going to spend a lot getting the cdl, so that's a plus. We like success stories so please keep us posted if you do defy the odds.

 

I'm pretty sure by the fmcsa guidelines, you will not be able to drive, however, having said that, I know that you can lower your numbers. Its not easy, but it can be done. Just because you are on the needle now doesn't mean you have to be on it forever. If you lower your numbers and get on one of the oral meds, you can drive and do very well. Do you know how to lower your sugar numbers. I will send you links to help you, if you need them. It's really just a decision you make to get them down, thats the hard part.

 

Ric that's fantastic! If I had a nickel for every patient who took their health into their own hands, I'd have had about 5 cents lol.