If you plan to stop driving for awhile do not make the same mistake I did!

Hey guy's, first post on this site. I got my CDL in 2019 and drove for a few years. Due to being rear-ended and injured in my personal vehicle, I took a break from trucking and worked from home. Whatever you do, do not make this mistake if you ever want to use your CDL again. Due to ignorance, I forgot to self-certify and I remained certified as an interstate driver. Once my DOT medical card expired for a year, I lost my entire CDL. I recently only learned this when I wanted to start driving again. I thought I could just go get my DOT physical and would be good to go. But nope, I have to go back to trucking school and start the entire thing over again. Even though, if you get a DUI, you can still keep your license. Whatever you do, DO NOT let your DOT medical card expire, or forget to self-certify if you ever stop driving. Going to be a huge headache.

To add, this also depends on your state. So check your state regulations. Delaware is one of the states that takes your entire CDL. On the DMV website, it just says your license would be downgraded. It never said you lose your license, I thought the term downgraded means you do not have CDL privileges until you renew your med card. But I was wrong. Check to see what your states policy is here. https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmc...structions-submitting-med-certificate-wsc.pdf

 

I got information for a local school, gonna cost 5000$ but I can make payments on it. And they don't start charging until 3 months after the course. Just have to accept how it is, and look at the bright side. Going to learn in a manual transmission, only did automatics in Prime inc training. Technically to get my CDL again, I would just need to do the pretrip and road test. But I don't have my own truck, and you would need a licensed driver with you. I could go with Swift or maybe back to Prime to get my CDL again. But I don't want to be locked in a contract again, and I really dislike OTR. I may need to do OTR again to get experience for local, but I will just play it out and see how it goes.

 

The thing is, yeah I can choose another trade that makes as much and maybe more than trucking. But a huge thing for me is enjoying the job that I have. Yeah I hate OTR, not worth it in my opinion at all. But OTR is not the end goal, I want something local when I get experience again. Even if it is driving a garbage truck, construction truck, or anything for that matter. I enjoy the hell out of driving, plus with herniated discs in my back. I am afraid that some of the more physical trades on my feet 40 hours a week may be back. Which really really sucks because I am 24, I lost allot of weight and got in decent shape, but still have back problems. I think trucking local, where I am half physical, half driving would be the best world for me. Basically, the goal is a trucking hourly pay position. Because you are right, the hours we work with per mile pay just is not worth it being away from our families, driving our lives away, working 70 hour weeks.