Comments By ChrisEMT

Werner will allow you to get your medical card from and DOT approved doctor AFTER your initial company paid for physical at orientation. At least when I was with them (I left them a little over 4 years ago for personal reasons at home).

I would normally tell people who have "indulged" or "experimented" with pot or any THC product to wait a minimum of 6 to 12 months BEFORE taking any type of drug test as every person metabolizes things differently, and THC is usually stored in fat cells.... So the more body fat (BMI) you have, the longer it stays in your system. For hair folical testing, it is about 3-6 months for every inch of hair tested.

Now since you had your medical marijuana card, your name is more than likely on a registry or list maintained somewhere, and if the DOT looked for, and finds, your name on that list, they may decide to scrutinize any drug tests you take or even void your medical card and CDL.

My advice to you would be to talk to the doctor who issued the card and ask them to revoke it, the wait at least 1 year from the date you revoke it before you take a drug test, which if you stopped using any medical marijuana (or any marijuana for that matter) would be more than 1 year and would make it highly unlikely that you would test positive.... Remember, even trace amounts of THC would disqualify you from getting hired....

Remember to keep any records you have showing the last time you bought medical marijuana and ask the doctor who issued you the medical card for letter stating when they issued and revoked the medical card. This way when you take a drug test (UI or hair folical) you can show when you stopped in case of a positive result....

I would also avoid CBD products, unless prescribed by a doctor, and it is certified to have less than .03% THC in it.... My pain management orthopedist (who is going through the process of being licensed to prescribed CBD) told me that usually less than .03% should not trigger a positive result....

I hope this helps and is not to confusing....

I have a silly question for you. If the only doctor you found in your region to fill out your paperwork is in Georgia, why can't you have them fill it out.... Yes, I understand you live in Florida, but a licensed doctor on the DOT registry to give physicals can give you a physical... Even if it is a specialist because of your arm, it shouldn't matter

For example, I live in CT, worked for a company out of NE, and had a physical done at their Indianapolis, IN and their Allentown, PA terminals, as well as one in Georgia.....

I was just curious, thats all

The loss of use is why the SPE certificate is required. He won’t be able to pass a DOT physical without that paperwork. I still think he needs to call the regional representative because they may have a list of doctors who will fill out the proper paperwork, rather than just call around and hope for the best.

I understand that the loss of use of his arm is why he needs an spe.... My question was why can't he use the doctor in GA if they also do DOT physicals????

I would speak with your companies account services office (or whatever your company calls it for dedicated accounts) and see what your company has to offer, it may surprise you. Then I would call other major companies that hire out of your area to see what they have to offer, but expect to have a wait once you jump to a different company because usually dedicated accounts are usually in demand positions. You could also look into food delivery companies that deliver to restaurants , bars, supermarkets, etc. A big one is Performance Food Group (PFG), but again, they have minimum requirements like length of experience, etc....

I have a silly question for you. If the only doctor you found in your region to fill out your paperwork is in Georgia, why can't you have them fill it out.... Yes, I understand you live in Florida, but a licensed doctor on the DOT registry to give physicals can give you a physical... Even if it is a specialist because of your arm, it shouldn't matter

For example, I live in CT, worked for a company out of NE, and had a physical done at their Indianapolis, IN and their Allentown, PA terminals, as well as one in Georgia.....

I was just curious, thats all

Sorry to sound like a "debbie downer" but,

regardless if a trucking company has a "no weapons" policy or not, most shippers and receivers have a no firearms policies. also, there comes the problem with crossing state lines. as a truck driver, unless you are driving local or within the state 100% of the time, you WILL cross a state line at some point. where the issue lies is that most bordering states of where you live do not have reciprocity laws, and if you cross over the state line and get pulled over or inspected, and the officer finds a firearm, a can of worms will have been opened that most drivers, IMHO, do not want opened. it would be a felony charge for carrying a firearm without a permit. you would more than likely get arrested, lose your CCW, any firearms you own, and more than likely not get your CCW back. and, since you will have a felony arrest on your record, even if you are found "not guilty" and the charge is taken off your record, you will more than lose your job, and have to answer "yes" to the question "have you ever been arrested for a felony".... then there comes the possibility of your company sending you into Canada, if they go there, and you have your passport. you cannot cross over international borders with a firearm (or other "weapon", bigger than a pocket knife).....

I don't recommend any of the dollar accounts for "new drivers" that have less than 1 year solo experience for several reasons.

First, during the first year solo, new drivers are still honing their driving skills, learning the HOS, trip planning, learning how to deal with shippers and receivers, time management, building a relationship with their dispatchers/fleet managers/company, etc. Second, most dollar stores have very tight areas to get to the receiving doors/docks that require good backing and spatial relations skills.

Third, most dollar store accounts are driver unload, with or without carts depending on the store chain. think about having 4 stores to deliver to and unload 40k lbs of product stacked floor to ceiling, then be back at the distribution center within 24-36 hours after dispatch.

While drivers on dollar store accounts make really good money, there is a reason. For example, I was on the family dollar account and lasted 2 loads with them because I wasn't ready (I was still fresh off the trainers truck and was tempted by the $$$), or in good enough shape. I went to another nearby account and made ok money until my company lost the contract to another company that was cheaper, and went to an account that gave me as many miles as the dollar account, as good pay (cpm, stop pay, unload/load pay), I barely touched any of the freight, and I worked 4 1/2 (or so) day work weeks (left Sunday, afternoon and was home early Friday morning) and never got close to running my clock out. But I got lucky with my last account. I had a great boss who was my FM/Dispatcher/Load Planner. I worked my tail off and proved myself to him and that I could do any load he gave me, but when I signed onto his load board, I also had 2 years experience... And we still keep in touch to this day....

I hope this helps. Chris

I had gotten 2 year card most of the time, except the brief period of time when I became an instructor at the CDL school I took my course at.... I think that it was my BMI was slightly more than he was happy with, saying I was "at risk" for sleep apnea. I then looked on the registry to see what examiners were in my area, and found that my PCP was on the registry, so I started having him do my medical card, since he was familiar with my history and could fill out my forms every other year when I got my annual physical, since it more thorough than the DOT exam, and he just added the urine dip, eye exam, and hearing exam. I have had a 2 year card since.

Check to see if your PCP (or someone in their office) is on the registry, and if they are, see if they will fill out the forms for you at your annual exam. they may charge you a small fee to fill it out, but it may be worth it in the long run.

As far as the costs for the DOT physical and test (I am guessing for your permit), your prospective employer may pay for at least the physical. As far as the permit cost, they may cover it, but I know I had to pay for my permit out of pocket....

Now before you get to far into the process, call a DOT registered examiner that you will get your physical from and ask about epilepsy. There is a question on the physical form asking about epilepsy and seizures. The only one, IMHO, that can give you an accurate answer on your specific situation is a DOT doc. I'm not sure if there is an exception for seizures or not, but if there is, the doctor giving the physical will be able to get that squared away for you when they give the physical.

I hope all works out for you...

I would start in 2nd or 3rd, instead of 4th.... 4th is to high of a gear to start in, imho. I have heard inspectors/DMV(RMV) requiring people to start in 1st, even 2nd, but not 4th..... I would ask your instructor/trainer why they want you to start in 4th and see what they say.