Profile For John S.

Which companies are you applying with?

I'm not to that stage yet. I'm going to avoid flatbed work starting out because it looks like a lot more to learn, and I'll probably avoid LTL since everyone recommends it. Swift, knight, May trucking, etc. I'm going against the recommendations here, and I'm going to a paid trucking school first - I can get it for free anyway.

I would highly suggest pursuing another career. There's a reason you're on those meds and it's nothing to be ashamed of. Trucking is a very stressful job, atleast as you're learning, and id hate for you to take a huge step back in your mental health. It's a very lonesome job that many people suffer with the isolation. You're In a new place all the time talking to people you've never met before while life continues at home without you. What is it you're trying to get out of trucking?

I'm kind of a loner by nature so being alone doesn't bother me. I'm aware it'll be very stressful at first. I guess truck driving appeals to me for a variety of reasons: You don't have a boss watching over your shoulder the whole time. It can be good pay (I'm not going to ever find a job that can pay 80k/year working in a warehouse). I like that you get paid for productivity, and I like that it's an adventure. What intimidates me most right now is trip planning. I'd absolutely love to find a dedicated route starting out so I don't get lost navigating new roads everyday.

So I asked a bunch of people that did DOT physicals, and one got back to me. It sounds like I will pass a DOT physical even without a doctor's note. They said, "I don’t believe so. Only BP meds, diabetes or sleep apnea need doctor’s notes"

So I guess I have no reason to go off the meds.

My own sister was schizophrenic from excessive drug use, and my father was depressed. They both committed suicide. Mental health is something I take seriously.

Sorry to hear it. My father committed suicide from depression as well.

Trucking is also something i take seriously. Recently there was an uproar over 110 year sentence for a driver who killed 4 people and injured dozens. Your mental and physical health can kill others and yourself. You can be imprisoned for your mishandling of the vehicle. Carriers will be sued for millions of dollars if you have a serious accident like that.

That was more to do with poor judgment than mental illness. Plus the sentence got reduced to 10 years by the governor. I'm aware that driving a truck is a big deal.

Your doctor is staying you need to stay 9n the meds. You have said you have been on meds your whole life.... It is a federal crime to lie on DOT paperwork.

I actually said I have been off such meds for most of my life. You read it wrong. My doctor did not say I needed to stay on the meds. She did not address me telling her I might have to go off them either way. I need a new psychiatrist, but I'm lucky to have any at all.

You state you don't need the meds ..it is probably because they are working. You state you don't think you are depressed anymore.... Have you considered that the stress from trucking ....which is an amazingly stressful job ... Could jeopardize your mental health?

I really don't need the meds. They're not that effective, but they do make my life easier, like I said. (Using how I was before them as a baseline) Also, I think it would be good for me to get out and do something instead of focusing on my misery. It could backfire, I suppose.

Even if you come off the meds, you will be asked what you have taken in the past 3 years. Meaning of you stopped today you wouldn't be hireable for years.

It sounds like IDMtnGal's brother took mental health meds and was still hirable (Not by prime I'm guessing, but prime already won't hire me anyway.) Will these meds really make me unhireable? Swift gave me a pre-hire while I was on mental health medications.

Please stay on your meds. For your safety and that of others.

Me being off my mental health meds doesn't jeopardize other people's safety.

So I guess I'm not understanding why you need your psychiatrist to write a note, when it's not necessary but it's what you want her to do.

That's the part I don't know. Do I need a note if I stay on the meds or not? Because I can't get a note.

Thanks.

Thinking of myself from the viewpoint as a carrier or an insurance company, I would be hesitant to hire/cover someone after your previous explanation.

the FMCSA actually studied it, and found no evidence that people with psychotic disorders had an increased crash risk. So, even when I was dealing with psychosis symptoms, I wasn't necessarily more dangerous on the road. (Not to mention I don't suffer from it anymore) https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/docs/Psychiatric-Executive-Summary-prot.pdf

NEVER go off your meds, especially all at once, without the doctor's guidance. Some of those medications HAVE to be tapered off.

I'm well aware of needing to taper off, and I've already confronted my psychiatrist with what I might do. She's not particularly helpful.

Lithium is a mood stabilizer and is generally prescribed to people that are bipolar. I'm not. Is your brother a truck driver?

Anyway, none of my medications are prohibited, but it's passing the DOT physical that I'm concerned about, since my psychiatrist won't give me a note. After that I have to convince a company to hire me, which might also be harder with these meds. Almost all mental health medications have potential side effects that someone shouldn't drive while experiencing. That seems to translate to the industry being against them.

What's the reasoning for your need of all these prescriptions? Has to be a reason (real or not) that a doctor felt the need to prescribe all of these.

I was diagnosed with depression with psychotic features. Basically, I had depression with auditory hallucinations. I still have some depression, but no auditory hallucinations now. I also suffered from anxiety, which was what the buspar was for.

Secondly, have you ever been "off" all of these previously?

I've spent most of my life off such medications.

There's nobody on here that can tell you to stop taking your prescribed medication. That is between you and your doctors to figure out.

What I mean is: is going off such medications the only way I'm going to manage to become a truck driver? Like can I even pass a DOT physical if my prescribing doctor won't give me a note? I've already told my psychiatrist that I might have to go off the medications if she won't give me a note.

My psychiatrist has me on Effexor, Zyrepxa, Buspar and Wellbutrin. I don't believe I need the medications now, but they do make my life easier. However, she will not sign anything for me. She said no one else has ever asked her to do it and she wasn't comfortable with it. It sounds like to me that the trucking industry is against medications for the most part. Should I just go off all my mental health meds to pass the DOT physical? Also, some of the meds I take cause a false positive with drug testing.

I tried to find a new psychiatrist, but no one responded. I have crap insurance.

Jack,

Sadly, that FMCSA link you linked to makes it sound like you'll have to wait. It says effective date: 3/22/2022

The FMCSA is currently working on changing this, but nothing is final yet, and they have been working on it for several years. Don't hold your breath!

I have good news. This article says they're going to publish the change tomorrow. https://landline.media/fmcsa-moves-forward-with-new-vision-standards/

If that article is correct, you will be able to drive interstate after all. I also have a bad eye, but I passed the DOT physical the last time I took it. I was worried about passing it the next time, however.

Prime wouldn't hire me because of gaps in my work history as well. I find it frustrating. We're trying to work, but we can't work because we haven't worked? At some point someone has to be willing to give us a chance, or we'll just keep not working. My work history is even worse now than it was when I tried to get hired by prime.

Middle Earth is my favorite so far.

After the 2018 tax law changes you are no longer allowed to take a standard meal deduction. Your standard deduction was increased but many expenses previously deducted are no longer allowed.

It appears I was wrong so I apologize to anyone I mislead. Things have changed.

Harvey,

Looking at it more closely, the person that made Schneider's presentation doesn't even understand how tax brackets work. You're not paying taxes at 22% with the numbers given. It's much closer to 12%.

There is nothing misleading with Schneider's presentation. The only time you get more of a refund is if you have given uncle same an interest free loan by having too much withheld. In both examples, the same withholding level is used, the decrease in taxes is because of a decrease in taxable pay.

Even with Schneider charging 2 CPM , the net pay to the driver is 16% higher. I don't think it's right that they charge for this since they are also saving money on Social Security and Medicare taxes but this is disclosed in their example, so not misleading. My son Michael is not charged for the service at Marten as far as I can tell, he gets 17 CPM paid to him as per diem in addition to 47 CPM in taxable pay.

What I mean is, you can't take your standard meal deduction when it comes to doing your taxes if you take per diem pay. Schneider isn't accounting for that. It looks misleading to me still.

Harvey,

I'm looking at the Schneider link for per diem pay. Isn't Schneider being a bit misleading because you'll get more taxes back with standard pay, which it's not accounting for?

Also, they are taking 2 cents away.

Nicholas,

Not that it's any of my business, but I'm curious. Why would you go through graduate school, and then decide to be a truck driver?

They changed that a few years ago. Now its just 34 consecutive hours off. You could start your reset at 5am Friday and your reset is satisfied 3pm Saturday. Under the old rule you quoted you'd have to wait until 5am Sunday, basically a 48 hour reset. Thankfully they did away with that.

Ah, that's good to hear. Perhaps this should be changed so us noobs don't get needlessly confused:

https://www.truckingtruth.com/cdl-training-program/page93/logbook-hours-of-service-limitations

If you were off the truck at home or in a hotel... Then yes, off duty. If you were staying on the truck, you need to log sleeper for when you were in bed. If a cop stopped you and said "the logs show you were not in the truck for 34 hours.... Do you have a hotel receipt since you do not live on this side of the country?". He will want a believable explanation.

I had to reread it a few times, and now I understand why it's bad. Apparently, you have to have two periods between 1am - 5am off duty before the 34 hour reset is legit. It seems like needless complication to me.