Comments By Greg M.

Little trip to the casino.

Valet was of no help. At least I won a little. I did get VIP parking.

Saw something this week that I have never noticed before and saw it 3 times in one day.

On the doors of 3 different companies I saw signs all basically saying the same thing"

"This trailer is private property, owned by XYZ Company, and is tracked by GPS and other electroic means. Do not hook to this trailer unless you are a driver for XYZ corporation. Any other use will be considered theft and criminally prosecuted."

Not sure if a sign will deter anyone but I have often wondered how many lost trailers have actually been taken intentionally taken and used without permission.

This has to be one of the “truest”statements ever made on Trucking Truth.

If you are changing jobs to keep a MACK ... instead of a solid company & income.... you might want to rethink things!

~ Anne ~

Not sure if they exist in New York but Ohio has 3rd party testing centers that sometimes offer rentals. Pretty sure you can still test out of state.

It would be a drive but there is one in Cleveland that offers testing and equipment rental. Looks like for just a road test the testing fees and equipment rental would be around $285.

Cuyahoga Community College CDL Testing Center

What I find interesting is how lowly paid some of the trucking industry office staffs are.

I had a heart attack in 2020 and it soon became apparent that I was not going to be able to pass a DOT physical for some time. My employer, Ryder, and I briefly discussed me moving into the office. During our discussions I found out that I was one of the highest earning drivers, almost $90k in 2019. The dispatch position I reported to had a salary in the mid $30s, next level up mid $40s. I was making almost as much as the site General Manager.

I had already been approved for 9 months of ST disability at over $900/week so we both decided that it did not make much sense for me to move at the time.

A few weeks ago I was on vacation in Las Vegas for 4 days. The day we were taking the red eye home I developed a very slight sore throat. I'm fully vaxed and boosted, but I took a Covid test when I got home and it registered positive almost immediately.

I texted my dispatcher and he said that he would get back to me before Monday. On Sunday they told me to stay home and check with them on Tuesday. On Tuesday the sore throat was gone and I felt fine. We then decided that I would return to work Thursday. They gave me drop and hook loads where I had no interaction with anyone and I also wore a mask when around people.

They said that the current guidelines are 5 days after a positive test you are not considered contagious if not showing symptoms, especially a fever. I never developed any symptoms other than the scratchy throat.

April:

I know that some of the responses have hurt your feelings, and I can't say that I blame you, but I still think we can figure out some underlying issues here.

I am curious how the call with the recruiter who laughed at you went. How did the topic of mental health even come up? Did he ask or did you voluntarily offer up your history? If you did that was a mistake in my opinion. You have worked with your ME and they saw fit to qualify you. It is not the recruiters job nor are they qualified to give you a mental health evaluation.

Or is it possible that you got flustered and broke down a little? That is nothing to be ashamed of, we have seen many people come through here who want this so badly that they become their own worst enemy.

Interviews for driving jobs, and to a lesser extent paid training opportunities, are not like most other jobs. For driving jobs, unless you give them a reason to not hire you, there is likely a position available. In contrast to my corporate days where I applied for many jobs where I was one of several hundred people competing for one opening.

Next interview try to be relaxed. Answer their questions honestly but there is no reason to give them your life's story. You are just trying to not give them a reason to say no. It seems like you are carrying around a lot of emotional baggage from past experiences. None of us here can understand what you may be going through but trucking has offered a fresh start for many, many people.

Best of luck to you.

So do you have a valid DOT physical card? That seems to me to be the first hurdle. If you answered the questions truthfully and your documentation satisfied the Medical Examiner I don’t see an issue.

If you have access to a 12v test light turn the ignition on and see which wire has power. Hook that one to the red CB wire an the other to the black.

Have you actually applied for jobs and received push back because of the situation? The most important questions are rather you have kept your CDL current and is your driving record in good shape.

Aside from that you worked for a very small, shady trucking company that went out of business. Happens thousands of times a year. I seriously doubt that this guy participated in DAC or any other industry reporting and it does not sound like any charges were filed about what he claimed you did. He said/she said from 5 years ago really doesn't matter.

I say apply for jobs, give the dates you worked for him along with the address and phone numbers you have and tell them that he went out of business. I would leave all the drama and accusations out of the story.

I have worked for several smaller companies over the last few years and I have not seen the "staleness" issue to be that big of a deal. As long as your MVR is clean and your CDL is current you should have no trouble getting at least a road test. If are a little rusty but otherwise a safe driver you may spend some time with another driver until everyone agrees you are ready.

Good luck.