Comments By K.O. & Jack-Attack

Having your DOT physical card is only a first step. As Rainy stated, companies do their own physicals and have their own parameters that must be met. The company will also go deeper into your past and if they determine you misrepresent or omit any aspects of your physical or psychological history, such as your "suicide watch," I will assume you will be out the door. Your mention of lawsuits also are an indication of a lack of emotional maturity. I will again assume, a company would rather deal with someone in civil court over a civil lawsuit, rather than find themselves in a future criminal lawsuit due to the actions of an emotionally unstable driver they hired. What strikes me in this thread is your refusal to listen to the sound advice experienced drivers are giving you. I realize people can be like children who do not like to hear "no" when they want something, but you obviously need it pounded into your head. I am just coming right out and stating that based soley on what I have read, I am left with the impression that you are no where near ready emotionally or psychologically to start a career driving a truck! A company is going to tire of what I believe is your needy personality and unreslistic expectations and requests based on your "support dog." Don't come back in a few weeks after you get sent home, whining how "a company did you wrong, and you are going to sue them." Good luck with that.

Im a pre-law under graduate. How many law classes have you taken Mr. Doctor?

Based on your professional diagnostic review of me being unfit to drive a truck, must mean I'm also unfit to drive a vehicle or hold a valid license as well as work period? Perhaps I should go mooch off social security then based on your professional diagnostic review and live off your tax dollars? What should I do Doctor, tell me.

Having your DOT physical card is only a first step. As Rainy stated, companies do their own physicals and have their own parameters that must be met. The company will also go deeper into your past and if they determine you misrepresent or omit any aspects of your physical or psychological history, such as your "suicide watch," I will assume you will be out the door. Your mention of lawsuits also are an indication of a lack of emotional maturity. I will again assume, a company would rather deal with someone in civil court over a civil lawsuit, rather than find themselves in a future criminal lawsuit due to the actions of an emotionally unstable driver they hired. What strikes me in this thread is your refusal to listen to the sound advice experienced drivers are giving you. I realize people can be like children who do not like to hear "no" when they want something, but you obviously need it pounded into your head. I am just coming right out and stating that based soley on what I have read, I am left with the impression that you are no where near ready emotionally or psychologically to start a career driving a truck! A company is going to tire of what I believe is your needy personality and unreslistic expectations and requests based on your "support dog." Don't come back in a few weeks after you get sent home, whining how "a company did you wrong, and you are going to sue them." Good luck with that.

Wow, you're a Doctor? What's a Doctor doing driving a truck?

Now just remember, if a company is willing to and they find a trainer also willing to accommodate you, be extra nice to them. I didn't look it up but I don't believe ADA can force a person to allow even a service animal into a private domicile. That truck, if lived in fulltime may be considered a private home so at the very least might be very questionable whether it qualifies as a reasonable accommodation. Good luck with your quest to be a trucker.

Yes it's federally enforced. It applies to public and private locations anywhere people are allowed. Now my doctor's order requires the dog live in any lodging with me as treatment. However it's no longer a concern, because Pam Transport has an open pet policy, so I won't need to supply anything to them, and the hotel is pet-friendly for training with Driver Solutions, and Driver Solutions is making sure my roommate won't be allergic. I don't think Driver Solutions even knew about the hotels open pet policy. It's possible they may at some point even allow non-esa and non-service animals.

One question that drivers should be constantly asking … even long before a lawsuit situation develops, after an accident for example … is what am I doing now that is going to be used against me big time if I am sued?"

When a social media presence could hurt a driver or carrier

I'm a firm believer in being yourself. As long as your not doing anything illegal or something that can be considered disreputable Society needs to shape up and get educated. It's okay with everyone to publicly support LGBT, and other ill-concepts and everyone thinks it's liberal and moral (confused people), but when a US Senator or House Rep smokes a cigar and puts it out on a pile of papers 10000 pages long to ban tobacco until she 21 (including for active duty military) it's a bad? When someone drinks and makes a YouTube video it's bad? When someone has a Confederate flag on social media it's bad?

No Sir! Society needs to get educated, get there heads straight and widen up. I'm so tired of seeing immoral things online that everyone thinks is good and okay, and good people getting in trouble for tobacco, alcohol, and Confederate flags for no reason.

Best I can say, is always be yourself, stand for what you believe in, stand for your political and moral beliefs, and if a company fires you over it, move on to a better job or trucking company. People with cdls have the most doors open for employment in the United States than anyone else.

As for boarding you can use rover.com to find some place. Enter the zip code where you want to board and it gives you places in the atea. It is sometimes private homes of people that will board pets.

Interesting, I've never heard of rover. As for private homes that may be something others might do, but I can't trust my baby in a private home. Too many sickos and weirdos out there. Also Jack was abused and went from home to home before comming to me, so if in the instance I did trust a private home, he freaks out when Im not with him and he's with strangers and he also likes to bite people who have illegal drugs in their system.

My doctor also spoke with me yesterday, and advised me that it wasn't a good idea to not bring my esa with for so long during training. Jack's literally a doctor's prescription where anti-depresants failed for years. I'm actually happy for once in my life. My doctor thinks I'll regress being separated from him for so long. So I've found my solution, I'm going Pam Transport. Pam Transport contracts with Driver Solutions. Pam Transport and the hotel both have open pet policies so I'm not forcing an unwilling party causing strain to the employee-company relationship. Driver Solutions is also matching me with a roommate that's not allergic to dogs. I start class Nov. 2nd.

I think Rover is a great suggestion to others with pets, and I would also add to prospective truckers with pets that if do choose river and it's a private home, MAKE SURE THERE'S A LEGAL BINDING CONTRACT. You never know what someone might do. Make sure you have, payment, duration, feeding procedures, and also an emergency plan in writing. Also make sure you have in writing your proof of ownership, and always make sure you see the persons ID in case something does happen, you know their real names.

This thread was made specifically for pet-friendly paid CDL training or company sponsorship. We got a little off-topic to the intention and purpose of this thread in regards to my esa dog and legal stipulations, etc.

Forcing a company to accommodate me with my doctor's order is something I was trying to avoid to keep an employer happy and not strain our employer-company relationship. If I wanted to do that, I would have asserted the issue with a company weeks ago and not made this thread. I think staying on topic here is important because lots of people have pets and lots of people are faced with a delemma when going into trucking because of their pet whether homeless or not. So just because I've lost my home with covid-19 and have a doctor's order for my esa does not make my situation unique or different to anyone else's situation who have pets and are going into trucking.

I think it's a good idea to leave this thread up and available for future situations for others, to serve as a potential platform of knowledge for accommodating trucking companies for pets during training.

Like I said before, I haven't gone through every company because I found who I'm going with now, but for others Titan Transport was the only one I came across that confirmed they will allow you a pet during training. You will need to find your own pet-friendly hotel though. I'm sure there's a few more out there, so feel free to share any knowledge you have or obtain here for prospective truckers with pets.

Thankfully I did not have to resort to forcing a company, or imply or threaten or file any lawsuit in my particular situation. I was saving that recourse as a last resort, but I found one that works good for me with my esa dog simply by asking. If they give me any trouble upon arrival I have a doctor's prescription for my dog and a doctor's letter that is and can be enforced by law. But again this thread is for regular pet owners or those with legit esa or service animals that don't want to embarrass themselves or strain the employer-company relationship by forcing an unwilling company.

Hopefully more forum users can contribute with their knowledge of their company here to assist prospective truckers who have regular pets and don't know what to do.

Thank you again everyone who replied, and emailed me and helped!

Hey guys,

I've been lurking around the forums and the information provided here for about a week or two now, and I've found myself at kind of a loss currently. My situation doesn't seem to be a unique one, but it seems that it's something that is holding me back on moving forward.

So, for the past 9-10 years I've been living with and taking care of my Grandparents. I first moved in to help take care of my Grandfather, who had Cerebral Ataxia(a degenerative disease in his brain that affected his motor functions), and when he passed I stayed to help my Grandmother as she was getting worse and couldn't do basic chores around the house. Recently she was diagnosed with a form of demetia and epilepsy and is now moving into assisted living. With this sudden of news, we're losing the apartment, so I'd like to finally take the step to head out onto the road and drive.

I applied to Prime first and got turned down(all I was told was that they had better qualified applicants), which I understand. I then applied for Roehl's, application got accepted, spoke with the recruiter and we went over my application, where I was told that the next step was to wait for my driving record, this was 2 days ago. Today I woke up to an email saying they are unable to proceed with my application due to the responses I gave against the requirements of the role. They didn't tell me any other specifics or anything. So, I don't know if it's even worth trying to apply again for another company or just give up and tack it up as something I'll never do. I don't have much time, and I'm in kind of a scramble mode to get something going.

Any advice is more than welcome and thank you.

I've been going through literally dozens of them for weeks now. It's always one thing different from the next. While my dog is an esa for my condition, I've been retaining this information because I want to go with a pet-friendly company, instead of forcing the company where it would strain our employee-employer relationship.

If I didn't have my dog, I would have been accepted weeks ago within 1-2 weeks of first filling out applications. If you don't have a dog, then you have a much better and quicker process in than I do. I just got done going through this with my friend who I was helping get into Trucking along with me.

Keep applying and don't give up. If you have gaps in your work history, make something up and tell them you were under the table and ask him if that's going to be a problem not being contract for that employment. I had a friend about three or four years ago that did the same thing with Swift yeah a couple months Gap in his work history and he put down he was working for a friend and he got in.

There are lots and lots and lots of options available to you if you do not have a pet like me in my situation. the first thing you should do is apply here on trucking truth or paid CDL training and they'll send it out to a handful of companies that's probably the easiest way for you. Just don't give up you have a lot better chance than me and I found two companies that are willing to take me so if I can do it you can do it too.

People come to this forum all the time with issues and disorders that DOT states can be accepted if managed. However, the company paying for the insurance gets to decide based on safety. When we try to prepare people for a possible outcome...we get lectured over and over again... Just as you did.

However, those same people come back later "That company sucks because they were supposed to accept me as bipolar.... DOT and ADA says so."

When it comes to public safety...the public trumps your rights. A license is a privilege not a right. A CDL is a privilege not a right. People with seizure disorders and diabetes can be denied.

The trucker shortage is for safe, competent, healthy drivers.... That doesnt mean they will overlook anything and everything just to get a driver. You need to understand this cause when you get doors closed on you... You will need to keep looking. Often The companies willing to take the greatest risks are also the lowest paying because of higher insurance rates.

Alright, thank you for that information. I appreciate that insight.

Thank you for being less defensive in that last post. However.... The DOT physical has a federal form that asks questions such as "Have you EVER suffered from".... "Have you EVER taken a medication"

Lie and you could be penalized if caught. You would basically be committing fraud on the government. The trucking companies have their doctors examine you. They have a right to know if you are safe. I had an ovary removed and needed to disclose all info. Then I had eye surgery again... New DOT physical. They even cared about a miscarriage I had in 1994. So you see.... Thinking you can hide behind ADA or HIPAA (not HIPPA) will not help you. It could hurt you.

I already did my DoT Physical. That's required before getting a CLP.

No one made any accusations. We genuinely are trying to help you see the reality of trucking life which it is evident that you have no real idea of it. Someone in your condition could seriously deteriorate from the mental stress. Dog or no dog. If you board the dog that you need so desperately, how is he going to help you when learning to back? Or dealing with a nasty trainer? Or customer?

Now you state you were suicidal and on anti depressants. That alone could prevent you from getting hired. No company is going to want to put an 80,000 pound killing machine in the hands of someone with a questionable mental history. They often will require years and documentation proving the length of time you have been off the meds.

And you are NOT asking them about a normal pet policy. Not one company would train with a pet on board under normal circumstances. Prime wanted me to train after a proven track record and even though THEY wanted me to train, I had to jump through hoops cause I had a cat. They had a shortage of female trainers. Upper management needed to approve it. And that was a 10 year old lazy cat, not a 46 pound dog.

Also realize that all of these promises of taking you are due to fear of lawsuits. However, the chance of you killing people with the truck would be a larger lawsuit than rejecting you for safety reasons.

And you are right....i am not most trainers. I am much better and more lenient and compassionate. That is because I struggled greatly and had to overcome a lot in training. I still remember how hard it was. You have no clue what you are getting into.

All "acceptances" you are receiving are contingent you pass other test such as the DOT physical. Each company can have different requirements in addition to DOT regs. Prime wont even allow some non addictive anxiety meds such as trazadone.

Again.... Good luck.

When someone claims I got a fake ID online to bring my dog to trucking school is a false accusation. Please read posts before commenting.