In Desperate Need Of A Job/advice/help

Topic 18345 | Page 1

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Cody R.'s Comment
member avatar

Hello all. My name is Cody and I'm 24.

Let me preface this with the fact that I've never done drugs, I don't smoke, and I drink 2 or 3 times a year. 4 if I'm having a crazy year.

In November of 2015 I decided I was going to get my CDL and become a truck driver. I decided to go to Roadmaster in Indy. On day 1, for the "pre-employment" drug screening, it took me almost the full 3 hours and 6 bottles of water before I managed to provide a urine sample. I have a shy bladder. It's a condition I was aware of but had forgotten about because it doesn't actually effect my life at all. I just don't go in public very often. Problem solved.

Unfortunately, I did not realize how much of an issue it would become.

I passed the test and went through the program. I received my CDL at the end of November. I chose Werner as my company. On day 1 of their orientation, as I'm sure you're all aware, I was asked to provide a urine sample for pre-employment drug screening. Werner also asks for a haur folicle sample. The hair was easy to provide. Unfortunately I could not urinate. I drank roughly 8 bottles of water. So much that the Dr. told me i can't drink anything else or my samole would be diluted.

In the end I never was able to provide a sample. They reported it as a refusal. I made the mistake of not getting an independent test. I got something in the mail a week later about going through a SAP program and getting medical documentation of my condition if I ever wanted to drive. So I did the SAP stuff. I went through a group rehab program (ironic since I'm not on anything.) and saw a psychologist (or psychiatrist?) and recieved a clinical diagnosis of shy bladder syndrome (which is a recognized psychological condition) with a letter recommending a hair, blood, or saliva test.

I took this info and certificate of completion to Werner. Well, I called and emailed. And phsycially mailed. They came back and basically said "Sorry. You have a refusal on your DAC report so we can't hire you."

So I sent my stuff to hireright. They determined that my appeal was invalid essentially because my condition wasn't documented beforehand. That was it.

I spoke to 38 companies after that and after I explain my situation, they say they can't hire me for "X" years.

I have been working at Saco Industries in Lowell Indiana since April 2016. I move 30ish trailers a day with a spotter Monday through Friday. But I didn't pay $7000 to get my CDL just to spot trailers for $11 an hour. I want to be an OTR driver.

To summarize: I hardly drink. I never smoke or do drugs. I have a test refusal on my DAC report. I've been through the SAP program. I now have my condition medically documented and I'm more than willing to provide blood or hair or saliva. I'd even self catheterize if they'd let me. I have nearly a year spotter experience. No OTR experience. I have my hazmat , doubles , triples, and tanker endorsements as well as my passport. I'm looking for help in finding a company that would work with me or some advice on where to look/what to do. It seems big companies won't hire me because of the refusal. And most mom and pop places I've spoke to want experience. I'm open to suggestions of any kind and help of any kind. I just want to drive.

Sincerely, Cody

Ps. Sorry for such a long story. I know it's a lot. I didn't know how else to do it but give the whole story.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

HAZMAT:

Hazardous Materials

Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations

OTR:

Over The Road

OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.

SAP:

Substance Abuse Professional

The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.

Doubles:

Refers to pulling two trailers at the same time, otherwise known as "pups" or "pup trailers" because they're only about 28 feet long. However there are some states that allow doubles that are each 48 feet in length.

Dm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

DAC:

Drive-A-Check Report

A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).

It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.

Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Big Scott's Comment
member avatar

My first thought is get a lawyer. My second is have you tried Carolina Cargo. They drive teams and refer. You will get plenty of miles. If you want more info, just put Carolina Cargo in the search bar at the top of the page. Good luck. Did they kiss you when they screwed you?

Big Scott's Comment
member avatar

Also, I don't know if your in his hiring area but check out his YouTube channel. He is a very fair person.

Rick S.'s Comment
member avatar

For better or worse - the inability to provide a sample for screening WILL GO DOWN as a refusal.

Technically - a Follicle Drug Screen is not (yet) a DOT method, even though many companies don't even do urine any longer (look for that to change this year most likely).

It's sad that you got caught up in this mess. The issue is, despite your medical condition - WERNER is the one that put the information on the DAC , and through the standard dispute resolution process - the information they provided (and likely re-affirmed) is that you were unable to produce a sample at the time of the test.

How many years is the "x number of years" companies have been requiring since the failed screen. Additionally - had you dropped a hot on a random as an EMPLOYEE - a company would "typically" hire you back on when you completed your SAP. Since a failure/refusal as a pre-employment is just TOTALLY FROWNED ON - you're not so lucky there.

You might also try and see if the HAIR TEST came back at Werner (or if they even submitted it for testing in light of you not being able to drop for them). The downside to this is - the HAIR would show a "historic use", but if you shot a bag of dope the night before - it wouldn't be in the hair sample yet.

What HireRight SHOULD DO - is include the SAP information and the diagnosis as part of the entry you are disputing.

Unfortunately - even with the SAP completion - most companies are still not going to hire an "inexperienced driver" (ie: Student Driver) with a fail/refusal on their DAC.

Perhaps check CraigsList for a smaller company, that may not bother pulling a DAC.

The reality is - due to your status as an inexperience driver, unless you find a company near you that will train you "dock-2-driver" - you are going to end up having to go with one of the larger companies that does training - and THEY ARE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT A DAC.

The other sad part is - because you have no experience, you are still going to have to sign on as a STUDENT and do a refresher at minimum.

Please do keep us posted on your progress.

Rick

SAP:

Substance Abuse Professional

The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.

DOT:

Department Of Transportation

A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.

State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.

BMI:

Body mass index (BMI)

BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:

  • Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
  • Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit

It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.

DAC:

Drive-A-Check Report

A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).

It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.

Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.

Cody R.'s Comment
member avatar

Scott, I'll consider a lawyer but that'll probably be expensive and from what I've seen, people usually lose. I'll take a look at Carolina Cargo as well as the gentleman on YouTube. I don't know about Carolina Cargo though. That's a long way from my home. And although I'm not totally against moving, I'm also not looking to move either. As far as the kiss goes, no. They didn't kiss me, take me out to dinner, or even get me flowers. They just screwed me.

Rick, I've heard as few as 2 and as many as 10 as far as the number of years I must wait. I have a spreadsheet somewhere on my hard drive with all the info I collected. I will see about ensuring hireright adds the info to my DAC. Thank you for the info and the ideas.

DAC:

Drive-A-Check Report

A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).

It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.

Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.

Rick S.'s Comment
member avatar

Scott, I'll consider a lawyer but that'll probably be expensive and from what I've seen, people usually lose. I'll take a look at Carolina Cargo as well as the gentleman on YouTube. I don't know about Carolina Cargo though. That's a long way from my home. And although I'm not totally against moving, I'm also not looking to move either. As far as the kiss goes, no. They didn't kiss me, take me out to dinner, or even get me flowers. They just screwed me.

Rick, I've heard as few as 2 and as many as 10 as far as the number of years I must wait. I have a spreadsheet somewhere on my hard drive with all the info I collected. I will see about ensuring hireright adds the info to my DAC. Thank you for the info and the ideas.

HireRight/DAC has to follow the same rules as credit reporting companies (FCRA - Fair Credit Reporting Act). You have a right - if a dispute is not resolved to your satisfaction - to have a statement included and a note that the entry has been disputed.

Rick

DAC:

Drive-A-Check Report

A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).

It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.

Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.

Big Scott's Comment
member avatar

I don't think you have to move for CC. I know they don't let you take trucks home. I think they can sometimes have you dropped close to home and picked up. This is because you are teaming. They are a great second and last chance company. If you perform well, they will treat you great. Read this from someone who was at CC

Big Scott's Comment
member avatar

Also check craigslist. Sometimes you have to start at the bottom to overcome obstacles.

Cody R.'s Comment
member avatar

Thanks for all the adivice guys. I'm talking to Werner for ****s and giggles today. But i called hireright and apparently sometime after i last disputed this, werner changed it from a refusal to take a drug test to a "policy violation without possibility of rehire." At least that's what hireright said on the phone. So I may actually not be as screwed as I thought I was. I requested a copy of my DAC again so I'll see how it looks.

DAC:

Drive-A-Check Report

A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).

It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.

Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.

BQ 's Comment
member avatar

If Carolina Cargo is an OTR company and you fall within their hiring area, you don't have to move. Many OTR drivers don't live near the main terminal of their company. Personally, I am from Western New York, near Buffalo but drive for Prime, which is based out of Springfield,MO. When I take home time, I simply drop trailer at an approved customer in region and drive truck home. If you are looking to drive OTR, don't worry so much about location of company as long as you currently live within hiring area.

Terminal:

A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.

OTR:

Over The Road

OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.

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