PWT for Schneider

There has to be more to it then that. Im thinking atm that you are sapost to have X amount of rest time inbetween actions. And if they had a lot of people there they may have been rushing people from one test to the next with out giving them enugh rest time.

 

This is flawed in so many ways its stupid.
*They aren't going to spend all that time on their personal HR resources to get you down there, plus a rental car or bus or whatever if they had any doubt you would make it.
*Considering the FACT that the trucking industry is made up of middle aged men, its insane to point out the test is geared towards the younger crowd.
*Ya seem to be completely ignoring the fact that the ticker slows down with age. You arent be descriminated against when your target heart rate for your age is going to be different for the target heart rate for a younger kids age. Its still the same formula, just taking your age into consideration so everyone is on the same playing field. You don't see many older people doing very physical jobs compared to the younger crowed. The reason is because younger aged people have stronger hearts and can recoup faster...etc. The company they hired on has medical people creating these tests which use formulas that are medically based and backed to test your health. Tossing in a bunch of "hey but what ifs" and "well I would unload a trailer in three days so my heart doesnt beat that fast" doesnt work in reality.
*If it descriminates at all, its against those who are unfit or not taking care of their bodies. At 330+lbs with meds, I topped out at 110 with my pulse rate on those tests. "But sure, you were taking medication that slowed your heart rate down" thats the FRIGGEN POINT, I dont want to DIE!
*Also, we had plenty of people in our class that passed the test...I dont know if anyone failed as a matter of fact. Some where in their 50s and 60s. Truckin was in the same class as me. (Lol...did you know that Asian gal was 70? I can't remember who told me that)

 

Ziggy, good post. I started to reply again on this topic but deleted it in frustration saying to myself, "What's the point of continuing with this debate when some people are so closed-minded."

SNI hires a lot of elderly drivers who are fit enough to pass the test. The ones who don't pass should thank SNI for bringing to their attention the fact that they need to get in better shape before it's too late.

For those who've been asleep for the past few years...younger Americans are in worse shape today than at any point in history. If anything, it's the "30 and under crowd" who should be worried.

 

One factor that these company's don't seem to account for is that anytime you are in a situation which elevates stress, you can elevate your blood pressure and your heart rate. and any test no matter how benign is surely going to elevate both when failing can cost you your chance at a job, or even your career.

The company I work for, would see if it is a anomaly due to the situation at hand or if their is indeed a reason to worry about possible liability down the road. Schneider's reason for the test is because their insurance carrier requires it most likely.

This is another reason why anyone these days needs to ask a lot of questions before going to orientation and have a real physical done at least one time per year. Many DOT physicals are often fudged by the staff.

Next time take a couple of Niacin tablets and a couple of aspirin and drink lots of water and stay off of salt, nicotine, and caffeine before taking a test where blood pressure and heart rates are concerned.

 

Yea, Schneider and the rest of the OTR carriers care about your health.

Thats why they want you to work 70hrs a week at all times of the day and night, while breathing in diesel fumes doing it.

The only time OTR carriers care about the drivers health is when it may affect their insurance rates or profit margins, and don't be so naive to possibly think otherwise.

 

I'm scheduled to take the test in 2 days. I'm 54 6'1" and 250lbs. I've worked in construction as a carpenter for the last 23 years. After talking to a 30 year old male who was not overwight at all and failed I came to some conclusions. He had to continually repeat the tests because he didn't know how to properly position his body. Lifting heavy objects th wrong way causes you to strain more and puts more pressure on your organs. It can also block circulation. This increases the heartrate in everyone no matter how well in shape you are. Breathing properly is also important. Sometimes when we strain we forget to breathe. Slow and controlled is what's needed. Also a positive attitude.

 

I agree that alot of the time, its in the way we move our bodies. Lots of times, I use my back instead of my legs to lift...need to get out of that habit. Another thing too though is that part of their physical test you take at the Schneider OC...well not part of it, but some people might not have done various movements before. One of them for example that I had a hard time with was where they wanted me to squat down with my back straight, legs apart and touch the ground. I had a hard time doing it because of my balance and such...dont think they wanted me using my hands on my knees for lifting up. Just a weird movement all together. Another one was where I had to squat and lift something up from between my legs which was another weird position as normally Id be a foot or so behind the object instead of it being between my squatted legs, lol. I can see the reasons behind the tests, but at the same time, I wasn't used to some of the movements they had me do either.

 

I had to do what looked like a inverted leg lift which tests the strength of your lower back on my last physical.

You lay stomach down on a bench press with your legs strait out behind you and your upper body in front both unsupported for 2 minutes.

I am 44 6'3" and 240 and I can tell you for a tall person it sucks because less of your body is supported by the bench then a shorter person which makes it harder to do no matter what shape you are in. This test was also given after I had already done several other weight related exercises so I was not exactly fresh.

I am by no means in the shape I would like to be but pretty good for my age. But i don't see how many drivers would pass that test if they had any kind of gut on them.

 

The test is nothing but a end run around age discrimination laws. They want the younger crowd because they are easier to BS, And really don't care as much about things like health insurance, or retirement.