Profile For Tim F.

Thanks Susan / Grumpy / Tim.

Yeah... that sounds about right.

Just to clarify... I admit I fell! Purpose of 3 POC is to prevent falls. I fell so clearly I did something wrong or failed to do it right!

BUT... my honest belief is that I had 3 POC, missed the step and lost my grip while holding on to smoothly painted grab rails with my slippery gloves. To anyone but me not fixated on all 3 points I would think that would look like I just let go. Who knows! Maybe I did.

At this point the only issue i can see which matters is even if I was 100% liable, am I eligible for WC? Does my level of negligence (whatever the %age) make me ineligible for WC?

Susan, you are correct. I was cleared physically... 1st by Radiologist who viewed X-rays (fell Tuesday... OK to return w.o. restriction following Monday). Then after the EFA (Range of Motion) tests (tested Thursday, cleared Friday).

I tried to go back Wed., (new trainer was off Monday and Tuesday). I was told I needed the new DOT physical which I passed (Thursday) but ould not receive the new medical certificate. While that prevents me from driving a CMV it is not due to the physical injury per se... it is due to the inability to satisfy the paperwork requirements necessary to get a new Federal Medical certificate (which is a requirement to return to work after the fall).

Sounds like I will be lucky to get a week or of back pay as the physical injury portion will probably be counted at something between 6 - 10 days or so, depending on what "approval" one accepts. (I would think the last physical approval in the chain would be the right date... paperwork aside. Haven't been able to find how the amount is determined...

To be clear... blood sugars are great! Readings are 90 - 127 over several days... essentially "normal". (80 fasting and 120 2-hours after a meal is considered "normal" AND there is about a 10% margin of testing error (so 100 = 90 = 110!). The issue is I don't have the data needed to support getting the form signed and when I do the Endocrinologist will probably be out of the country. Primary care physician could do it but he may require even more data.

Tim, are you saying my "slippery glove" "explanation" was what happened in your case too or did you just leap off carelessly like it appears I may have???

If the glove fits... oh f!@# it!

Be safe everyone!

No. What I’m saying is W.C. is a pain in the butt and to avoid at all cost. I was stepping off the back of a trailer doing an inside delivery. I misjudged the distance to the ground and lost my balance twirled around and fell at the same time...right on my shoulder. In most states W.C. is a no fault insurance so how you got hurt is irrelevant.

Again, good luck moving forward and advoid W.C. if at all possible in the future. BTw...my company knew if the fall and never sent me to a doctor. I did fill out a report to cover their ass. In retrospect (for a few months after) I regretted not seeing docs....now it’s back to relatively normal function so I don’t think about it at all.

My overall guess is they will bare with you and get everything straightened out.

Good luck

A few years ago I fell off a trailer and drilled my shoulder into the ground. I’m quite sure I tore up a bunch of ligaments and muscles. I fought threw the pain. Couldn’t really use my shoulder for a few weeks. I did it safely and made it through.

It was stupid on my part...but part of the reason I did it was due to the story you told. It’s a great big hassle. Shoulder seem to recover and it close to normal today. The whole W.C. experience is horrible.

Good luck moving forward.

Lee..don’t sweat the Roehl physical test. It’s a resistance machine and also will test your range of motion on one of the portions. It used to be a test where you did exercises and then they checked heart rate....but no longer. Now your are tested on 1. Leg strength 2. Arm strength and range of motion 3. Back or “core strength” They have a predetermined number you need to reach in each event to pass. Just go in...get set in the machinery and have at it. You’ll be fine

I only work half days onFriday, I like to start the weekend early.

Wow! Great job! I would think if Stevens gave you the green light, many others will to. You may want to use the link here to send out more appsApply For Paid CDL Training

Good luck!

Where are you located? If your location is good you could land a pretty lucrative line-haul type job pulling doubles. You can make 80,000 plus dollars a year and be home on weekends, maybe even home nightly.

Southern California.

I'm capped out (salary wise) in my current office job (60k being the highest I'll ever make) and I'm sure most of you are aware that 60k for a large family in Southern California is extremely difficult to make it.

It's my understanding that if I drive for a company with no CDL (Swift for example), they pay their drivers $700 a week and it takes like 3-6 months to start making more than that.

I simply can't survive on that income and would have to figure out how to survive for 6 months.

I'm sure it gets better after the 6 months but if I could make at least 1k a week (which is at least equal to what I make now), it would be something I'd jump into right now.

I’d get the hell out of California and get to a place where I’m making money for me and not the government.

Does King Pin mean 'Abused Trucker Syndrome'?

There another created syndrome. I got abused as a truck driver. Here’s some of the abuses that Roehl Transport gave me. 1. I was able to travel the east coast on a weekly basis 2. My commute to work was three feet and I used no gas to get there 3. I made a damn good living driving and looking out a window all day 4. I did my job. No one called me, harassed me or stopped me at the water cooler. 5. I went to Florida for free in February 6. Ditto Georgia, SC, NC 7. They provided health care insurance at a surprisingly low rate. 8. They face us profit sharing every year(they’ve done it for 30plus years) 9. I was home weekly (sometimes biweekly if the freight didn’t workout)

You can see from all the abuse I took the reason I came back to local. That reason was ....MY SON. Roehl called me a few weeks ago that I’d be welcomed back if I do desired. I’m just not sure if I want all that abuse I listed above, maybe in a few years when my son graduates HS

The funny thing is...to get away from the “Truckers Syndrome”...he took a job as...a trucker.

Now...what he should have said is...I wanted to be home every night on a schedule and be home for my family....but instead he created a syndrome.

What drivers don’t realize is the same hassles you have OTR exist in different forms on local jobs.

I run for Ruan out of the Target DC in Amsterdam. We have delays caused by the shipper and are often delayed at the stores. We still hit traffic in the NYC and Boston metro area (although I Run nights). So we face the same problems...we’re just home every day. Occasionally I have what I’ll call “local truckers syndrome”. That’s the desire for the fun and adventure of the OTR lifestyle. In a few years, when my son is done with HS, I may hit the road again, but for now I need to be home.

Big Scott,

My drivers license states that I have vision loss right under my restrictions. I just spoke with a supervisor at KLLM and he suggested that I submit the form to DOT and see what happens. He doesn’t have experience with potential drivers having the type of restriction that I have, but has had a driver successfully receive their exemption for hearing loss. I plan on getting an eye exam on Monday. From there, I’ll go to the DMV and see if I can retest and obtain a new license with something that will be approved for driving.

When both eyes are open, my vision seems fine. I just covered my left eye and my right is blurry so I guess it’s time to wear glasses. I’m ok with whatever is safest and healthiest.

So...I’ll share my experience here. I wear gas permeable contact lenses to correct my vision to 20/30...which is under the required DOT mark. I have the same ...my left eye is stronger than the right. It cannot be corrected with glasses or regular soft contact lenses. A regular optometrist probably will not help you. Go see an ophthalmologist. It’s acmore specialized eye care but highly worth it.

Good luck

Are you in a private school now? If so, any company that hires you will require several weeks of OTR training some will be team training others like CFI will train as solo. Solo training means your trainer is in the passenger seat while you drive. Team training means your trainer sleeps while you drive and vise versa. You will also start at a lower training pay and get more pay as you go. At CFI you will go from training pay of 26 CPM through several raises during your first year to 42 CPM.

We do not recommend Dollar General (DG) or Dollar Tree (DT) account for new drivers because in addition to learning to drive and back, you have to hand unload the truck and stock the shelves in the store.

I don’t think you stick the store shelve Big Scott I think your responsibility ends at the store door. God, I hope so.

I have been with western for 5 months and i am not very happy i dont get many miles and only get 30 cpm really want to get with srt but dont know how they treat there drivers and im wanting to know if i do leave before my full year if it will hurt me

I think you should stick it out with Western Express. It’s only been 5 months. Question: your previous post here indicate you were at Swift, what happened??

You need to establish yourself as a producer at some point. I’m my opinion 5 months isn’t long enough. You should be honest and tell people in the forum that this is your third company and now you want SRT to be your fourth

Good luck!!

Well I'm glad I came across this forum! I was recently involved in an incident at a rest stop. It was about 5 am and the lot was crowded. It was difficult to find a stop so ended up pulling into a spot that was very dark. All I needed to do was use the rest room and be on my way. Long story short, as I pulled out I came to realize too late that there was not enough room for my trailer. I ended up ripping the bumper and headlight out of the truck that was parked next to me. Is this a reportable incident and will that affect my license? I reported it to my company immediately, took lots of pictures.

Brenda, This is what is called a preventable accident. While it won’t affect your CDL directly, it will most likely be listed on your DAC as a preventable accident. While it’s not a positive on your driving record, it’s certainly not the kiss of death. If you show a pattern of these, then of course, a company can use it as a reason to decline your application.

Hope this answers your question. Keep an eye on your wagon driver. Stay safe!!

Eric,

No big deal. Your company will fix the mud flap, sign the paperwork and send it in. I ran for Central Transport for a bit. They had no maintenance whatsoever. I received several of the fixit tickets (not proud...but it happened). Some of the, were my issues ...some not...but none of them kept me from getting a good job with Roehl...and now local with Ruan Transportation. Just don’t let your guard up on the pretrip.

Good luck!!!

David...it’s more than just memorizing words. You make it sound like a rehearsal. The pre trip is one of the most important thing a driver can do. We don’t memorize words on our pre trip. We look, search, feel and listen. You want us to teach you the lingo. What happens when the instructor says....why is that important...or what are the tread depth requirements in drive tires. How about the incab pretrip? Ever do that? Air brake check? This is all stuff you just can’t do by memorizing words.

Good luck in your pursuit. I learned everything I know from Roehl Transport and the training I received there. I recommend you reconsider and try going to paid cdl route. A year really isn’t that long to commit to a company

80% preventable accidents, the rest pretty much hopelessly waiting to take it up the backside. Why in the world would they be driving so fast on ice in whiteout conditions? Park it and wait it out. How many of them lost their jobs that day?

Looking forward to experience drivers chiming in.

I do not worried about a driver losing his job. I’m more concern about defenseless drivers in smaller vehicles losing their lives.

Everyone needs to be alert and cautious when driving this winter. Yes. If you have a CB leave it on in the bad storms.

I had a similar thing happen to me years ago. What they do is put your name out in the system and whatever comes back they report on. In my case, someone with my same name was convicted of sexual assault in South Carolina...I never lived in SC. I called them up and ripped them a new one. The review was for my sons little league team in a very small town. My last comment was to call my attorney. They reissued the report a few weeks later without that reference.

I’m not sure it will get on your final copy it’ll or not. My gut says no it won’t be there.

This is becoming less of an issue as most companies are switching to Auto-shift trucks. Roehl was ordering all their new trucks with auto shift and the company I run for now Ruan have only autoshifts on the account.

Honestly, after driving both I much more prefer the auto shift. It has its quirks, but in traffic at redlights it’s the nuts.

Good luck!

Jeremy..I went to Roehl and got my CDL through there In house school. I ran a dedicated account for Kraft that put me in Johnstown weekly for my 34 hour... sometimes twice a week. It’s orobavly worth checking out Roehl to see if that’s available. They post opportunities on Roehl jobs.

Good luck

Thought I’d give an update on Ruan Transport since I’ve been there. Couple of weeks now. This will be pretty basic as it’s only based on my brief experience.

I run out of the Amsterdam NY Target DC which is a shared service with Swift. I’ve already been “Best in Class” a couple of times pulling an empty back to the DC.

I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to adjust to running nights...but so far so good. Much of what I’ve done is to the Meteo Boston area or LOng Island, Brooklyn area so running nights is an advantage.

We run 5 nights with 2 off. However, during busy times they ask you to work the 6th. Right now they are paying $100 for working the 6th day. If you say no to the 6 th day...your shuffled down the totem pole...as Old School says...it’s a performance business.

Overall, I’m happy I made the choice to start there. Things will be tweaked as I go along and they get to know me. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask.

Stay safe!!

Marc, these major carriers make billions in revenues. The idea that they're going to pull some kind of seedy scam which makes them look bad for a matter of thousands in revenue makes no sense whatsoever. They have to pay for the bus tickets, the marketing expenses associated with recruiting, their own employees, and all kinds of other expenses. In the end they wouldn't make anything doing stupid things like that.

Trust me, these large carriers didn't become the elite in this industry doing stupid, scammy things like that. That's not how you get ahead in this industry or any other industry for that matter.

To add to Brett’s thought. Most recruiters are paid commission to get you to the company. Usually that commission isn’t paid until you deliver your first load successfully. So it wouldn’t pay for a recruiter to waste their time on prospects that would not make it.

If I’m wrong I’ll stand corrected.