Trucks & Personal Protection.

I am a 52 year old Marine Corps Vet, just coming back into the industry. I am also a registered Concealed Carry Holder. What are the current restrictions? I have only been told once ( a potential Carrier on my looking at list) that they are forbidden. I am a trained and carded holder what is the problem with carriers refusing to allow drivers to protect themselves? Not ranting, just curious.

Welcome Marine, thanks for your service. I am a definite 2nd. Amendment supporter and believe we should be able to carry pretty much any way we want. Liability to be sued and insurance costs if you don't restrict firearms are probably the major drivers on firearm restrictions. Have you ever wondered why our troops (I also served) are not allowed to carry on base/post? Many shippers also restrict firearms. on their properties. There are many ways to carry a weapon that is not obviously a weapon. Improvise, adapt, overcome...

I am a 52 year old Marine Corps Vet, just coming back into the industry. I am also a registered Concealed Carry Holder. What are the current restrictions? I have only been told once ( a potential Carrier on my looking at list) that they are forbidden. I am a trained and carded holder what is the problem with carriers refusing to allow drivers to protect themselves? Not ranting, just curious.

laws differ from state to state and permits do not carry from state to state. Come to NJ and get caught, you are going o jail regardless if you are legal in every other state. they even arrest off duty officers from other states on weapons charges.

as a woman i have rarely felt unsafe. on 2 occassions i did, i just drove away and didnt get out.

we have had this discussion many times here, so use the search bar to find other threads and answers on the topic.

Rainy is spot on as usual. I know this is not official, but it gives you an idea of what states accept others concealed permits.

https://www.va.gov/vetapp11/files1/1104134.txt

Best of Luck.

State law is one thing, however bigger picture; I know of NO major carrier in this list that currently allows a driver to carry a firearm regardless of training and/or legal permits. Furthermore, most shipper/receivers also forbid firearms.

If you want to run Interstate for one of the TL or LTL carriers, the only option is to leave the gun at home.

Laws do differ from state to state. Most shippers and receivers have signs posted no firearms. I have never felt unsafe out here. However, I'm a New Yorker. Very few companies allow you to have it. I don't know if anything has changed, but when I went through CFI's orientation in May of 2017, they said we could have one on the truck. Of course it is your butt on the line in the truck.

I wonder if I put my Japanese katana in my truck if that would raise eyebrows. It is not one of those ornamental stainless steel pieces of junk either. It was made using steel from discarded railroad tracks and is folded. Actually it was made in Okinawa, but who's splitting hairs.

Besides I think people are more afraid of being dismembered than shot anyhow.

Thanks for the input from all, I was doing some late night brain banging and came up with a few legal Ideas. Improvised "accepted tools for self defense"; Cattle prod, flare gun ( excellent assailant marker). Wasp Spray taped to a bic barbeque starter. A sharpened ( but covered) walking stick. and as always a good sharp knife. I teach urban survival skills to civilian "preppers" There are as Bill F. said always to improvise and adapt to a potential threat. Fear cannot be a part of the picture, however wisdom is worth more than money and can often save your life.

Even some of those can get you arrested in some states. i have a huge flashlight thats really heavy and a hammer. either one hits someone or i throw it thru a windshield of another truck, you better believe someone will notice or.blood will spew.

most times you are in highly populated truck stops with lots of people, just yelling will gain attention.

the most dangerous places are dark rest areas at night or street parking outside customers. but unless you are out west, even those are highly populated and less likely to be a place to be attacked. it comes down to common sense.

Big Scotts from NY, im from Jersey... so we are probably more used to being on guard than others. one guy followed my footsteps in the snow at a quiet truck stop and i told him i knew he wasnt from the northeast. "Piece of advice, dont walk behind us up here, we dont like it". i stepped aside and let him walk ahead. he thought i was nuts. i dont care, i had my heavy flashlight and was really to whack him if need be lol.

Guys laugh at me, but i ALWAYS have on a bright yellow T shirt. if i get jumped and wrestled to the ground in the dark, someone in the distamce can see me and question it. where jeans and dark colors...less likely to be seen and more likely to be a victim.

Bill and Rainy make good points. To Rainys point, Illinois is the same way. The only state permit Illinois recognize is it's own. But multiple states recognize Illinois permit. It can get complicated. I believe it's the Utah and Arizona ccw permit that if you get you can carry in something like 40 states. You actually could get an Illinois ccw as an out of state applicant if you want to pay 300 dollars and a 6 month minimum waiting period. But in the grand scheme of things tools like a hammer, flashlight, tire thumper would do just fine.