Please help an Air Force guy

There are no job placement guarantees . Think about what you said . These schools are turning out students every 4 to 6 weeks . The Department of Labor says there are 30,000 job losses in the trucking industry every 4 to 6 weeks . A lot of graduates aren't getting jobs .

 

If you can make the 15 yeare mark you can medicaly retire.. with less than 15 they're going to give you severance pay.. (Your base pay X2, multiplied by years of service).

Lump sum! 1 time payment..

I'm medicaly seperated too.. I had 13 years and couldn't streach those last 2 no matter how hard I tried.. ( I tried to go recruiting.. figured it would be easy physicaly.. Couldn't memorize all the material as fast as they wanted me to..) So.. out the door I went...

Trucking isn't easy.. What are you doing in the Air Force? Times are tough.. That disability will be handy from the VA.. I get 70% now.. (bad back).. Don't make any rush decisions.. The VA has options too.. They have vocational retraining as well, You shouldn't have to go to school before you get out.. Do you have the GI bill?

Just a FYI.. next time you get your hands on YOUR Med record.. Make a copy of it yourself!!!! From cover to cover!!!! A lot of veterans got burned by letting the seperations people make a "abrieviated copy" to take with you when you get out.. Mine was missing a lot of material.. I had my own copy which had everything and then some.. (Include ANY civilian consults, treatment, tests, you can even take your Xrays w/ you! You must request them, they WILL NOT do it voluntarily)

Hope this helps??

 

Gonzo hit the nail on the head with that medical record. From what I have been told by a guy who is in school with me now, your physical starts as soon as you walk in the door. You may not think they are evaluating you, but they are.

R/

Frat

 

Chief, if you don't mind my asking, what's your rate?

I'm in the Navy myself and I scout this forum for info since I wanna be a truck driver when I get out.

 

Mad....

Nope....dont mind you asking at all. I am a Damage Controlman. This forum has been an huge help to me, too.

Best of luck to you, Shipmate.

R/

Frat

 

Thanks DCC,

I'm an STGSN and I have atleast two and a half more years in (depending on the state of the economy).

Good Luck to you too.

V/R

MAX

 

I realize this thread's been dead awhile, but would like to try and clear up a few things....

(for those that don't know, I'm retiring from the AF as well as the end of this month, and I also decided that trucking was something I really wanted to do, and the following is based on the information I received from my education office)

...TA (tuition assistance) will cover approx 90% of the cost of just about any accredited CDL school.

....Can only use the GI Bill at CDL schools that the VA approves of, which are few and far between. Their decisions are based on the length/# of instruction hours of the classes.

...If one is still eligible for TA, that is the way to go, (ie: TA is "their" money; MGiB is "your" money).

...Once you've outprocessed your base, (whether or not you're still considered "active duty"), you're no longer eligible for TA. (Again, that's going by what the education office at my particular base told me.)


There, hopefully, that made things as clear as the Mississippi.

 

Veterans deserve better treatment than the abuse newbies get at the bottom feeder companies hiring from schools . Forget OTR . Look into expediting . A fleet owner will put you right to work without a trainer . If you're married they allow you to train your spouse . Things are slow everywhere . Retired veterans have their pension to help them weather the current state of the economy .

 

80% disabled from the VA will more than not disqualify you from most driving job.

From the Medical Long form:

There are many conditions that interfere with oxygen exchange and may result in incapacitation, including emphysema, chronic asthma, carcinoma, tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis and sleep apnea. If the medical examiner detects a respiratory dysfunction, that in any way is likely to interfere with the driver’s ability to safely control and drive a commercial motor vehicle, the driver must be referred to a specialist for further evaluation and therapy

Mark

 

Hurrycne,

Thanks for further clarification. A person can also take the course through a Community College, if offered. Its all a matter of the service member doing his or her homework. I went to ATI in Virginia Beach and was able to use TA as well as MGIB Top Up.

For those that are going to use there GI Bill or Top Up....keep in mind that the VA moves EXTREMELY slow. From start of the paperwork process to the date I recieved my Top Up payment was 4 1/2 months.

Correct me if I am wrong.... I believe each service has its own set of "rules" for using TA.

Thanks for your service and best of luck in your future career. You have any companies that interest you?

R/

Frat