Comments By Donald B.

So in Febuary 2019 I was considering leaving my current job ( high volume, full service car wash GM ) for another until I go to trucking school in April 2020 ( I have been planning on this for Five years now and can pass practice CDL permit practice tests at 98%-100% and am pretty sure I can do a pre trip inspection almost flawlessly) and I knew I would lose my health insurance. I have a strong family history of colon cancer on both sides and I hadn’t seen a doctor in 21 years. So I go to the doctor and found I was obese, had high blood pressure and prediabetes. I did a sleep study and was determined to have moderate sleep apnea. I didn’t get a CPAP because of the cost.

I decided to make a change. I worked a physical job, but put a lot of garbage in me. I was a two pack a day smoker. I drank 8-10 Coca-Colas everyday. I ate fast food three times a day and ate a lot of sweets just before bed.

Anyway I smoked my last cigarette on Valentine’s Day. I haven’t drank a Coca-Cola since March 1. I haven’t eaten fast food or any processed food or anything with added sugar since March 1. I had a checkup jut recently before I finally quit my job and my blood pressure is ideal. My blood sugar is normal and My BMI is in the normal range (23.95). I’ve lost 40 pounds to date. I made these changes of course for myself, but in anticipation of becoming a truck driver.

My issue is that I can’t afford to buy a CPAP machine now or do another sleep study to determine if the condition has changed now that I don’t have insurance. I however am sure that I sleep better now. Before the health changes i would sleep 5 hours a night max. If left alone for a few minutes I would fall asleep during the day. I used to wake up with headaches and would be groggy for the first couple hours of the day. Now I can easily sleep 8 hours or more. I have dreams every night (I never dreamed before) I no longer am sleepy during the day etc..

I would never drive a big truck with the conditions I used to have. I wouldn’t endanger the public or myself.

My question is: If I go to get a CDL physical is it going to show up on my medical records that I had this condition? Will the doctor performing the physical have access to the record? I don’t want to go to Joplin or North Little Rock and be turned away after all the preparations I have been making.

I have been planning on trucking for a decade now. I am 42 years old and I think that trucking would perfectly fit my aptitude. I have a good paying job now. It’s just not something that I can retire doing. I also think I would like the trucking lifestyle. If I quit my current job and fail at trucking I’m screwed as I’ll never find another good paying job with my amount of education.

congrats on kicking the cigarette habit, I gave smoking the boot for good back in 2006, I am 55 now.... now, i'm working on my obesity...... when I smoked a pack of Marlboros a day since age 20, 1984, I was right around 210-215 pounds at 5-10 height. I smoked all thorough he army, 1988-1995, and got a pack of cigs at the PX for about only 80 cents a pack way back then!! giving up the tobakee made me progressively get fatter and fatter over the years. I was 325 back in 2016 but now I'm down to 300.... i ride 3-5 miles day on my bicycle but now I have a new exercise bike coming tomorrow from amazon.com so I can burn 500 calories a day in the comfort of my air-conditioned home...I can only pedal the bike outside early in the morning or late at night during summer months....it might be pretty much too cold to bike outside during the winter months....keeop up the good work....I'm a vet and get VA health benefits....the VA covers my CPAP if I were ever to need one...I got a negative for my sleep apnea test at the VA back in late 2017 ... apnea is often gotten over by not smoking, weight loss and regular exercise

i guess once it becomes habit, one can still do a good pre-trip fast if one is in a hurry without missing something

There is no such thing as being in such a hurry that you can't do a proper pre-trip. You wouldn't believe how much it slows you down if you get shut down by DOT or your truck goes flying off a cliff. Really messes up your day.

If you watch anyone who is truly a master at their craft, they always move very deliberately, but efficiently. They never hurry, but they never waste any time because they've learned the most efficient and effective ways of doing everything.

I was a Harley mechanic for a short time back in the day. The real masters never looked like they were doing very much. They'd be talking, laughing, and singing along with the radio. Suddenly they were finished with the job in an impossibly short amount of time. Something that would've taken me 90 minutes takes them 15 minutes. You can't imagine how they could've done that! But they never rush, and they almost never make mistakes. That's what you're shooting for. Learn the most efficient way of doing things, but never try to hurry. Take as much time as you need to do everything as safely as possible. You'll get faster as time goes on.

I was just using the phrase "I guess" as a figure of speech, but on the job I don't like guesswork, no sir....i like competence....I like doing the work properly..... it's a pride thing with me....I've been just too accustomed to having sergeants constantly yell at the troops in the army "to pick up the step"...some civilian employers are like that too....go, go, GO!...hustle, hustle, HUSTLE!........I'm certain that with enough practice, things can be done properly, complete and yet in a timely fashion...until one becomes a driver in the field, they can't really yet understand how much pressure might be put on them by employer to produce....how much pressure do you drivers here get put upon you by your own employers to meet deadlines?....most employers over my work history have indoctrinated me with 'time is money'...but yes, a truck loaded with valuable cargo that wasn't PTI'ed correctly and goes over a cliff because of it will probably be very costly to the company indeed....freight hauling seems to me like a happy balance between "time is money" (the early bird gets the worm) and "haste makes waste"

Yes, zero tolerance for drinking during school. Even once you are employed a driver; trace amounts of alcohol or banned substances found during a random, are cause for dismissal and will haunt a driver for many years to come, likely preventing future re-entry into the business.

Donald...I am being totally sincere when I say this... please don't bet on anything...

I was brutally truthful when I stated this "is like nothing you have ever done". I watched several retired military wash-out of school. Great bunch of guys, but they couldn't "get-it". Effort, dogged determination, common-sense, attention to important details, good listening skills, and a willingness to apply yourself with zero distractions is what will enable passing the CDL. That said; once a military veteran gets to the point of a first seat upgrade, they can be wildly successful because of their inherent traits; discipline, respect for peers and authority, and rules compliance (lots and lots of those in trucking).

There are some "gotchas" for everyone though...The Freedom of Trucking, "Blessing or Curse"

It's a totally level playing field. I know former teachers, dentists, business people, construction workers, military, heavy equipment operators. Very, very few previous careers provide any tangible advantage or adequately prepare a person for this. Going into this with any preconceived notion; is a mistake.

Study my friend. Study.

one more dinky question, G, are the success and failure rates in this business about the same for all age groups 21+, or whatever the legal CDL age bracket is?..... you may have noticed more people of a certain age bracket succeed in driving than others

a job counselor a few years ago told me she thought older people were generally "better workers" but some employers favored younger workers thinking them more up to speed with modern technology....older people seem more resistant to changes, often stubborn and set in their ways of thinking, and younger people, being more naive due to their youth and inexperience, are more likely to promptly do as they are told without question or skepticism...an older person might stop a moment and put more thought into something whenever he is told to do something...I know I have to do as I'm told on the job but I might first figure out what angle to approach the problem before executing...I do believe trucking might take some open-mindedness sometimes...us older people got to live this long in the first place by being cautious, maybe a little apprehensive at times....I see, G, approach this career with a bit of caution and skepticism...the world is full of catches (caveats) to new "exciting" propositions

Donald wrote:

...in basic training, only one man out of 60 in my class (platoon) did not graduate, was put on the Dog back home in shame

I'd be remiss if I didn't thank you for your service; "thank you".

Interesting how you brought up basic training in the military.

Although some compare trucking school to military boot camp, the similarities end with the graduation rate; it's remarkably different. On average about 30% graduate and pass the 3 State Administered CDL tests; Pre-Trip Inspection, Yard Skills (Backing) and Road Driving. I attended Swift's Richmond Academy over 6 years ago; my class started with 32, lost about 1/2 that in the first week for a variety of reasons (some rather absurd; one was caught drinking in the hotel room). The net of the process after 3.5 weeks; 6 graduated. 5 eventually passed their CDL tests and of that number, I know of only two of us that continue to drive over 6 years later (6.25%). That is a consistent attrition rate with most every company. To your point about the 1 man out of 60; trucking companies would be absolutely "gleeful" if 30% of their students managed to drive for them beyond the first year.

You must be thinking..."OMG, that's rather daunting!" To an outsider, it is just "that". There is a whole lot to it...beginning with the understanding and acceptance that learning the basics of this (through road training) is like nothing you have ever done and must be considered more like a life style than just a way of making a living.

That is why we encourage first-timers like yourself invest several hours of your time reading these two links (offered previously) before doing much else in the way of detailed research...or even inquiries.

Truck Driver's Career Guide

Becoming A Truck Driver: The Raw Truth About Truck Driving

Donald I am not trying to discourage you one bit. We have all been in your shoes. I am helping you to set realistic expectations and enable a primer of basic knowledge that will serve you throughout the initial process and beyond. The bane of many new trucking students is a false sense of reality. Read those links I posted and I promise you will not suffer from any delusional thinking.

Good luck!

a guy washed out of CDL school because of drinking?....thankfully, I don't drink, smoke or even use illegal dope...I bet the older set, 50+, as I am, has a much better 1st-year success rate....most failures are probably the younger generations, that's my wild guess...the older-school people had more discipline in their upbringing and weren't spoiled rotten, we were raised with a work ethic....I bet military veterans are better candidates for CDL because of their tough service experience....a soldier or marine has to have a tough "I can do it" attitude...."improvise, adapt, overcome".....I'm a bachelor too, single...no kids, no wife....Mr. G, I will get to reading stuff here...

remember when Goose was asking Maverick in the 1986 film "Top Gun" for the telephone number to a truck driving school when the future of their navy dogfighting career came into question at the Miramar Navy Fighter Weapons school? Hollywood was really dumping on the trucking business by implying it was "a big step down" from piloting an F-14 in combat

That is helpful, then the links I sent you are relevant and appropriate.

Also, so is this:

Paid CDL Training Programs

We recommend Company Paid CDL Schooling/Training.

Here is why: Why I Prefer Paid CDL Training

thanks, G, company-sponsored training seems the logical way to fly according to Brett though he took the private school route.... most of my jobs have been whereby I was trained by my employer... military service is a classic example of employer-trained employment...a military recruit is an investment at the expense of the taxpayer's dime...if a company shells out hard economic resources toward the CDL qualification in prospective drivers, they have an incentive to try to keep them....they'd hate for you to fail...failure for new recruits is not an option for most army drill sergeants...in basic training, only one man out of 60 in my class (platoon) did not graduate, was put on the Dog back home in shame

how many drivers here do the pre-trip each and every day, come rain, shine or snow exactly as if the CDL examiner were observing them?

Risk management requires discipline and prudent decision-making. The more often you cut corners or take things for granted, the more mishaps you will have. It's a numbers game. If you keep rolling the dice you will lose from time to time.

Keep in mind that with trucking, one mistake can mean someone's life, maybe your own. You may not get to make a second mistake.

It makes no difference what anyone else is doing. Just make sure that when your time comes, you do the right thing every time.

When I worked at a warehouse, they were very strict about safety. Occurrences like jumping over a conveyor belt, cutting through restricted areas etc were grounds for termination.

I bring this up because my manager told me once "you have to get lucky every time, I only have to get lucky once". And I think about that every time cutting a corner crosses my mind. The house only has to win once and it's all over. I'd rather be late with a load, than have something horrible happen due to a negligent PTI.

imagine if every automobile driver had to, by law, inspect his car for each and every trip with the same level of scrutiny and detail as a big-rig driver does.... at least, I always walk around my car before driving it... an animal might be under it or child might be reaching for a dropped toy or ball under my car....on long trip, i will inspect the tire pressures plus fluids, belts and hoses under the hood...i will give special attention to a towed light trailer with a light towing motor vehicle.... tires, load securement, safety chains, lights, pigtail, landing leg and ball hitch

Donald asks...

how many drivers here do the pre-trip each and every day, come rain, shine or snow exactly as if the CDL examiner were observing them?

Every day, to the point if I'm under 3 different trailers during a typical dispatch (frequent occurrence running Walmart), I'll perform 3 trailer PTIs in one 12-14 hour shift. It's required.

As far as if the examiner is observing... no. I don't narrate what I am doing, thus it requires far less time. In addition, I focus on the areas most critical to safe operation; tires, wheels, brakes & suspension. Although I skip nothing, tires; especially steer tires receive a lot of my attention.

i guess once it becomes habit, one can still do a good pre-trip fast if one is in a hurry without missing something ... i would think critical areas to safety would be tires, wheels, brakes, springs, lights, wipers, mirrors, load securement, glass, seat belt, extinguisher and the inter-vehicular 5-th wheel coupling if there is one...although it's not officially an item on a pre-trip (I've seen a few pre-trip video tutorials already) I would be mindful of the working condition of my cab a/c in scorching summer weather as we are having right now ... the heater and defroster should be critical during the winter, one might think

Welcome to the Trucking Truth Forum Donald.

How Green are you? Do you have your CDL, in school, road training, rookie driver...? What level are you on? Help us, "help you".

If nothing else please read these links:

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

Mr. G., hello. before I can enter a driving school, I must recover from my neck injury from a car accident two months ago, my personal injury law firm told me a local chiropractor should be contacting me soon for intake... please don't worry, it was the other's driver's fault, a young bonehead gabbing on a smartphone in front of me put his SUV in reverse and backed right into the front of my car while I was at a gas station...his insurance carrier has already paid for my car as a "totaled vehicle" though it had minor cosmetic front damage and is still road legal and driveable .......I haven't yet decided which CDL school to go to living in Moore, OK, near OKC, I was wondering if Texas, DFW, has better quality schools....meanwhile, I will read all the links you posted above as my neck (one doctor told me suspected whiplash) is recovering....it might be up to 6 mo.s before I can be medically ready for school....I might also learn a thing or two from the seasoned drivers who post here.....the toughest thing for me right now is selecting a school...they are all not the same.....my career plan for life is to put at least five solid years in driving OTR then transfer over to a non-driving position with a motor carrier as manager, dispatcher, logistics, trainer, etc. ... dunno, yet, some non-driving job that allows me to come home from work most every day and have quality personal time...taking a dog for a walk in the park on evenings, going fishing and hunting on weekends....the nine-to-five...I'm thinking about getting into a new house in Texas, maybe Austin, after squirreling away money from a five-year OTR stretch...of course, I would want a short commute to work to whatever facilities non-drivers with motor carriers work as terminals and such...I checked out Schneider's site, it appears as they have a program of their own for seasoned drivers to switch over management and such....they call it Carrier Paths....it's my humble opinion that an experienced driver will be the best candidate for any non-driving position at a freight carrier...it's always nice when dispatchers, load planners, trainers, managers, etc. see things while being in the shoes of a driver...a company should be centered around drivers

i understand that non-driving jobs may not pay as well as driving jobs but non-paying jobs do provide much more home time and money isn't everything if you don't have the time to enjoy spending it! ... i honestly can't see myself driving a truck until i die of old age

Could have ended in disaster, but luckily I was trained properly.

I was in a hurry, didn’t repeat my PAL/LAP phrase, and forgot to put down my landing gear. Because I was trained to correctly stop as soon as it unhooked, all I had to do was a bit of cranking.

unfortunately, the army, at least when I was in, never trained it's drivers to stop as soon as the kingpin is free from the locking jaws of the 5th wheel...they assume the soldier will always be on the ball enough to first drop his landing gear (or legs) and then unhook his glad hands...the stopping rule for an uncoupling driver seems to makes sense...the military takes lot of shortcuts in terms of driving heavy vehicles...we were never trained to get under he truck to inspect the locking jaws with a flashlight...I have read civilian truck driving has a lot more steps and details...the military has the PMCS system for vehicles, preventive checks and services, according to a TM, technical manual....before, during and after operation....this is rather quick and simple as compared with the civilian industry's long-and-drawn-out pre-trip inspection...the military is always in a big hurry...an elaborate pre-trip like civilian drivers do for the CDL exam would be laughed at in the army... now, helicopters, military aircraft, are going to be given a much better inspection than road vehicles before the engines are even fired up....if a truck breaks down, you can pull off the road usually, if a chopper quits at 15,000 feet, well, you better hope the pilot has good auto-rotation and power-off recovery skills

how many drivers here do the pre-trip each and every day, come rain, shine or snow exactly as if the CDL examiner were observing them?

What shoulda greenhorn do at this site? is this the proper place to introduce oneself? where are the forum rules i should read first? tanks much