fat guy and physical agilty testing

My company had no testing beyond the standard dot physical. How big do you mean by "Fat Guy"? I work with a guy that is about 300 lbs. We do local p/d with a lot of physical labor, and he does fine.

 

Some companies do go passed the basic standards that DOT require, I know Western Distribution out of Denver, CO, but they require 3 years experience, and Melton Truck Lines does as well.

Good luck in your new career

 

I know Knight Trans. has there own physical agilities testing that goes well beyond basic DOT Medical "bend over and try and touch your toes" routine. Or at least they did 7 or 8 years ago. So I guess it all depends on who you consider. For you, some might be an issue getting past there physical, others not so much. Narrow down your preferences, then go to those particular forum boards elsewhere in this forum and ask current or recent new hires what they do or don't do in their pre-hire physical process. Being very large, be prepared to deal with sleep apnea testing and perhaps mandatory usage of CPAP machine. This might be a bigger issue for you then possible agility testing.

 

stexan, As of right now,There is no law on the books for sleep apnea testing, These bonehead carriers coincide with the ATA and the FMCSA to make drivers 'THINK' its mandatory, Its NOT.

You have the right to refuse any and all questions regarding sleep studies,etc..If the Carrier insists on it,You may want to seek alternative employers

As for being FAT, Who Cares, Im Guessing 60% of the industry is overweight,Just a product of being a trucker.......If the ATA/Fmcsa wants Health fanatics and athletes driving these trucks..Go find them

 

Law on the books or not, it really doesn't matter. If a carrier decides to implement this they can and many do .. just like they can implement a more stringent physical agility pre-hire testing regimen. Yes, he can not answer certain questions and walk and go elsewhere and that's a fine option if it works and eventually leads to somewhere this is not a concern.

 

My company only did the DOT physical (nothing beyond that). Only you know your physical limits. There were a few guys in my CDL class (BIG boys) that had a hard time getting in and out of the cab. I'm at a loss as to how they're going to get by (I'm talking x < 5'8" and 350+lbs). If you're in that boat...you might want to stick to dry van gigs with mostly drop-and-hook/unhook loads. No way would you want to be crawling up onto a flatbed with an 80+lb tarp or getting in and out of the cab 10+ times a shift and hefting a hand cart or pallet jack on an LTL route.

 

Transport America in Ft Wayne wanted an endurance test, step up onto a 16" high box then back down over and over again for 3 min. Expected rate was 50 steps per min. Schneider wanted driver to climb unassisted, ( no ladders ) into a trailer and see how many 50lb Bowes could be moved to the tail in 3 minutes. No hand carts,but boxes of different weights were also provided to add towards the total.

 

no problem........