New-Need Help

When you explained the reason for avoiding drug testing I understood.

Flatbedding is much less work than a typical reefer with a meat load on the floor or say 5000 boxes of spices, gravies etc from McCormick, also on the floor.

VAN work is somewhat difficult for some. Reefers offer a oppertunity to load say medicines from Mckesson which is kept at 65 degrees regardless of weather outside. Your man will never ever touch any of those vials of medicines. Typical load values is a million plus which pretty much excludes the riff raff and so on.

Drugs is your biggest threat. Do not do anything for a year. Because if you ever get a hot burnt postive result in any kind of drug testing (Which is now moving into DNA based systems which is way beyond simple follicle and potentially holds the data inside your very cells from the drug or acohole last consumed. You can pretty much forget the trucking indstury as a valid source of income and work.

If at all possible after living a clean drug free life for 12 months, you might have a oppertunity to get a CDL yourself. SO you can team with your husband. Husband wife teams are so valuable right now it's not funny. You can also defeat the increasingly limited options that single drivers must endure with no parking etc. Your incomes will improve quite a bit. Provided you run each load like a business, with a profit.

There is a lot of good things, but also the bad as well as the ugly. Keep living quietly for your 12 months and go for your drug testing then. And never ever use pot again because Uncle Sam has it listed as a schedule one drug which is a automatic ban against you and your CDL (Or any licensing really... even other professional licensing.. such as ATP Transport Pilot) for as long it remains detectable in your body. You are also not allowed to sign contracts, engage in legal decision making etc with schedule one medicines inside you believe it or not.

Trucking is federal. Therefore it's Uncle Sam speaking. Not the States.

 

I'm a driver( many years) but close to many who have been with the company for more than 20 years... we are going thru an audit( we hired them) but the SEC hasn't been in....

 

If it makes you feel any better, I have sciatica as well. Prescribed a TENS unit; works great...and I'm twice your age, LoL~!! NO drugs whatsoever, just a chiro and the Tens, and a healthy diet. Look at some of Dave In AZ's threads, about feeding his parents healthy, and himself. I have seen a change since January, weight and wellness...personally!

Be safe, no matter WHAT you all decide; I'm still following~!