Being On Disability And Getting Into Trucking

Just don't get discouraged or feel sorry for yourself. You are right keep looking someone will hire you. You just have to keep your chin up no matter what. Going crazy because you can't get on, yea I do understand that very well. Don't know how I have kept my sanity. But I have to keep my chin up. You do the same it may take time but you will succeed as long as you do not get down on yourself. I wish you all the luck in the world.

None of the gaps were due to being fired, and I even gave a 2 week notice to a company I quit because they lied to me. That's more than fair. If they hire some guy that has been on disability for 8 years before me, I'm gonna have a bone to pick with them. Or maybe I should just get on disability myself if that's a way to cut through the nonsense. :P

I was laid off, was a Senior Manager and worked in a Fortune 50 Company. I have not met you, and you may not be indicative of others, but unfortunately because of a choice in the past, you get lumped with them, that is reality. My experience is those who have gaps, and quit because they did not like something or someone, were likely to quit within a few months. There is a cost to recruiting, on boarding, and getting them up to speed. Knowing they have quit in the past, and it is an indicator they will do it in the future, if I had 2 candidates that had equal qualifications, why burn my time and money on one I am not sure will be around? You may very well be the best employee I have working for me over time, but I have work to get done, and when there are candidates with a better track record, guess who I will hire?

The other side of the coin is, Prime felt you were not a good fit, it happens, look at me, I am an accomplished IT Sr Manager, even have a few patents, yet I can't find a job in IT, the reason, I don't have a degree. While I have literally hundreds of rejections, I keep looking, my Plan B, is OTR.

When I worked I was away for weeks at a time living out of a suitcase, it is driving me crazy being home. I need to be out and about. I was able to get a grant to pay for school, here in a week or two I will start filling out applications, who knows, maybe Prime won't hire me, but at the end of the day, there are other companies that will, I just have to find them.

None of the gaps were due to being fired, and I even gave a 2 week notice to a company I quit because they lied to me. That's more than fair. If they hire some guy that has been on disability for 8 years before me, I'm gonna have a bone to pick with them. Or maybe I should just get on disability myself if that's a way to cut through the nonsense. :P

I was laid off, was a Senior Manager and worked in a Fortune 50 Company. I have not met you, and you may not be indicative of others, but unfortunately because of a choice in the past, you get lumped with them, that is reality. My experience is those who have gaps, and quit because they did not like something or someone, were likely to quit within a few months. There is a cost to recruiting, on boarding, and getting them up to speed. Knowing they have quit in the past, and it is an indicator they will do it in the future, if I had 2 candidates that had equal qualifications, why burn my time and money on one I am not sure will be around?

That is 100% on target. It never looks great to have quit a job and then have a big gap for which the only explanation is "Looking for work". Why would you quit a job without having a "Plan B" in place?

If there is a gap after 3-4-5-10 years at a place, sure, take a little break, but if you're switching job every 3-4-5 months? And you have a gaps? Most companies that aren't desperate aren't going to spend the time, money and effort to hire you on.

TL;DR - Companies aren't hiring you in a vacuum, there are other candidates, and a lot of the time, the job is weeding out the applications that don't have work histories that bring up lots of questions and excuses.

I agree with Jrod.

Many times people will assume that any company they qualify for will hire them because there is strong a demand for drivers. This isn't true at all. Trucking companies get a ton of applications and they turn down a lot of qualified people for things like employment gaps or getting fired from their previous job.

I did not know that it would not matter because of being on disability

I know this statement was made 11 months ago but I wanted to address this. It does matter if you were on disability. One of the problems trucking companies face is losing drivers because of the demands of the job. This job is a lifestyle, and it's going to completely change the way you live your life. The hours are long, the job is stressful, you're away from your home and family, and there is a constant stream of challenges being thrown at you.

This is not an environment most people can handle.

Don't get me wrong, it's the coolest job in the world for the right person. I thought it was a truly grand adventure! However, most people aren't looking for a grand adventure or to face a constant stream of challenges or to make a major change in their life. They're simply looking for a job.

If someone has been unemployed for some period of time or they've been on disability for some period of time it's going to be a huge adjustment to suddenly dive head first into one of the most demanding jobs you'll ever find anywhere. These major companies have gone through many thousands of drivers over the years and they've found that there are certain criteria you can use to help predict the probability of someone sticking around. It turns out that people who haven't been working in recent months do not tend to stick around. Obviously that isn't going to apply to everyone, but when you have thousands of candidates you're going to try to weed out a few based on known statistics.

To follow up bretts point....whar if someone who was on long term disability gets to driving and the problem then recurrs DUE to the job. it isnt just a mental thing.

Had an accident and hurt your back? What if long hours in the seat, or on an uncomfortable mattress (i bought my own, but many stick to the truck provided mattress) exacerbates the issue? Is that worth the risk to your health?

Someone who has strict dietary needs can certainly stock the truck and stop at walmarts, but specific items can be hard to find. i only find my cats brand of kitty litter in 50% of walmarts. what if there was some really important i needed for my health?

Furthermore what doctor is doing the medical clearing? Sure a doctor can say "go back to work" but unless he has a list of the bending twisting sitting and standing required for what length of time, that return to work is very generic. Dept of Labor needed specific requirememts for each and a doctor to evaluate that workers ability.

Companies also sometimes give agility tests that are more physically demanding than the regular DOT physical. Flat bedders need to prove they can lift the tarps, reefers need to carry boxes of different weights. all must climb ladder rungs to prove you can get in the truck or trailer.

There is more involved than just driving. we are also placed in extreme weather. cant handle the cold? Montana and WI get to -39. What about the heat? CA was 120 degrees when i was there...sitting for hours waiting to get loaded. yes, my APU ac were on, but it couldnt keep up. Have lung or asthma or allergy issues? certain parts of the country will be hell.

just because someone is cleared to work in an office, does not mean they could work OTR. and i dont want anyone with certain conditions risking THEIR health for something that could put them back on disability

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.

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.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.