Profile For GrayBeardinPA

Congrats! On your CDL. Good Luck with TNT.

Once you have your CLP and medcard, recruiters are more responsive. They know that you have invested time and willing to commit to a trucking career.

Most programs require you to get your CLP in your home state. So for example. If you go train with Swift. You get your NJ CLP and med card. Attend training in Richmond, Va. you take the CDL exam in VA. Once you pass you are sent back home to convert your passed VA CDL results into a NJ CDL.

Truckin Along With Kearsey is a mod on here and a TNT reefer trainer. Hopefully she’ll reach out to you. If you google her she has a YouTube channel and you can msg her there also.

Maybe it would be a good idea to keep one diary thread instead of starting new topic? With new topic treads, you are pushing other people’s new or updated threads to the rear. Also, People like to follow progression, if you keep it neat and in one place, ppl would appreciate it more.

Just a thought

Sorry got back to the hotel last night and passed out. So got cleared yesterday, been at the pad going over pre trip. With the wind can get one done then go inside and once I can feel my fingers out again. Got a text from my trainer I am meeting him at 0530 in the cafe tomorrow and taking a load to Philly and back so will be at the hotel still. Everyone has been amazing from instructors to driver, giving words of encouragement and advice. If you are still on the fence about which company to choose I can’t recommend Prime enough. I already feel like this is my extended family. I hope I can post tomorrow night after my first run. I am nervous, terrified, and have a healthy respect to the 80k bull I’m about to climb on all at once.

Looking forward to reading your PSD experience in Pittston.

Congrats! I just saw the announcement on Wilson’s FB page!

Here’s a state by state guide for retirees, but still a good guide for tax friendly area to consider. Kiplinger’s Tax living State Guide.

the issue is on the Federal level. Your state might allow Cannabis use, but on the Federal level it's an issue and this is where the problem is,,,,

"DOT Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance Notice

Recently, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued guidelines for Federal prosecutors in states that have enacted laws authorizing the use of “medical marijuana.” http://www.justice.gov/opa/documents/medical-marijuana.pdf

We have had several inquiries about whether the DOJ advice to Federal prosecutors regarding pursuing criminal cases will have an impact upon the Department of Transportation’s longstanding regulation about the use of marijuana by safety‐sensitive transportation employees – pilots, school bus drivers, truck drivers, train engineers, subway operators, aircraft maintenance personnel, transit fire‐armed security personnel, ship captains, and pipeline emergency response personnel, among others.

We want to make it perfectly clear that the DOJ guidelines will have no bearing on the Department of Transportation’s regulated drug testing program. We will not change our regulated drug testing program based upon these guidelines to Federal prosecutors.

The Department of Transportation’s Drug and Alcohol Testing Regulation – 49 CFR Part 40, at 40.151(e) – does not authorize “medical marijuana” under a state law to be a valid medical explanation for a transportation employee’s positive drug test result.

That section states:

§ 40.151 What are MROs prohibited from doing as part of the verification process? As an MRO, you are prohibited from doing the following as part of the verification process: (e) You must not verify a test negative based on information that a physician recommended that the employee use a drug listed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. (e.g., under a state law that purports to authorize such recommendations, such as the “medical marijuana” laws that some states have adopted.)

Therefore, Medical Review Officers will not verify a drug test as negative based upon information that a physician recommended that the employee use “medical marijuana.” Please note that marijuana remains a drug listed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. It remains unacceptable for any safety‐sensitive employee subject to drug testing under the Department of Transportation’s drug testing regulations to use marijuana.

We want to assure the traveling public that our transportation system is the safest it can possibly be."

Unfortunately I have to agree with his other point. This is going to probably keep you out of the industry. You made a huge mistake by not giving yourself a minimum of six months clean without burning a joint before giving up a hair sample. That is going to make it next to impossible to move forward in a trucking career.

As someone who has had to completely change their medications due to quitting cannabis I would appreciate the “lighting up a joint” jokes to not be made. I am now on meds that do not work near as well for what I need them for, all to get “clean” to change my career. As someone who has found cannabis as the ONLY medicine that has been successful, I am rather sensitive on the subject. I do not joke about my cannabis use and would appreciate information without the jabs at my medicinal choices. And as we are in a country where nearly half our states have legal medical cannabis use, I would assume people would start to treat it as it is and not as it has been made out to be.

Paccar based in Washington state owns Pete, KW and DAF (Belgium). Right hand DAFs are build at leyland truck plant in UK.

I learned today that Freightliner is owned by Mercedes, so even if it is assembled here, technically it is a German truck. I wonder, which trucks (tractors) are truly American, I mean owned by American company and made in America.

Elk hunting?

Google maps southern routing:

I-80 W. Take I-84 W, I-82 W and I-90 W to WA-204 E in West Lake Stevens.

There really isn't any way to not pass through some hills. There's those pesky ROCKY MOUNTAINS that have to be crossed at some point.

Why in the heck would you want to go to Lake Stevens in a trailer in the coldest, most dreariest time of the year?

Rick

I dunno maybe if states DoT installed roof scrappers at weight stations and rest areas this wouldn’t a wide spread problem. But that’s logical thinking.

Fwiw....Gtown drives a Cascadia now, that’s assigned to him.

For your wife, If she volunteered anywhere, had good relationships with teachers, were involved with scouts, or sports. These are good places/people to get letters from.

I just went through this for myself. I had a gap for a year. I was able to get a very good letter from my daughter’s support teacher, which satisfied Swift HR.

Hi All,

My wife and I are in our early 40s and looking to get into driving. My question is this.

I've been self employed over 10 years and file a schedule C. My wife and I file joint taxes but she hasn't worked in over 10 years...(raising kids, home school etc.) On our taxes I've always listed her as unemployed.

Can anyone give some insight on how this would be viewed by team driving companies?

Thanks

Good luck! Wilson was one of the outfits I considered. Though, I choose to start at Swift in Richmond this month. Looking forward to reading your experiences.

Thanks to everyone here for all your support! I’ll be starting a training diary when I get to Springfield because those who’ve come before me on the forum have helped me immeasurably with theirs.

Also I have chosen to forego a CPM and instead wish to be compensated in dancing bananas

My tentative start date is December 9th in Richmond with Swift. I’ve been waiting a year to get the wheels turning.

If an opportunity develops to go, I’m going and I am.

Ive thought about the holidays etc. i live 4.5 hrs away from Richmond. Swift has off Xmas day. Since school is mon-fri. Thats a three weekend. I plan to be with family then. Come back sun afternoon to swift.

Btw swift houses their students at Candlewood Suites airpot.

Tentative training start date with Swift in Richmond, Va December 9th 2020. Happy Thanksgiving y’all!

It took 2 hours to wait to take my permit in PA. Luckily in PA, they give you buzzers. So you don’t have to stand in line. You can wait in your car. Good Luck!

If your in AZ. Look into Swift and Knight are based in Phoenix.

Once you get your medical DOT and Permit. Start of school can happen in a matter of a couple weeks.

I follow this O/O on YouTube. This topic reminded of this...

Livestock Unsecured Trailer causes traffic hazard.

https://youtu.be/21ZIeO6mLNE