Coming Off Disability
Topic 23305 | Page 1
What is your disability? Does your wife work? Look through these first.
- Truck Driver's Career Guide
- Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
- High Road CDL Training Program
- CDL Practice Tests
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.
Arthritis in my back and I was a type 2 diabetic but had nerves in my back burnt started walking lost 31 lbs sense May and now I am off insulin with an alc of 5.4 from 9.2 sense may.
Great job on getting off insulin. You are starting this journey in the right place. However, this lifestyle is not for everyone. I don't think this is the type of job to just jump into.
Assuming you went to a company that hauled just dry van , you still need to climb in and out of the cab several times per day. You will need to be able to climb into the trailers to sweep them out or put straps/load locks to secure the load. Cranking the landing gear handle can be one of the most strenuous things you do out here.
If you think you can handle that then the next thing you need to do is talk with your wife. How will she feel about you being gone for about two months for training and at least 4 weeks at a time while you are over the road. This is a great career it is also a lifestyle. I have not been home since mid July and don't know when I can afford to go home again. Home time is precious, and come with a price. The week before, during and after home time will, usually, be short pay weeks. Here is a great article by Rainy D about Relationships while OTR.
After one year out here local jobs become available. Depending on where you live will be how many local jobs are available. For example, I live in Charlotte, NC. The amount and variety of local jobs available to me are too many to count. I would not have to travel far to work.
Now with all that said, we highly recommend Paid CDL Training Programs Get paid while you learn. Most require a one year commitment for it to be free. For example, I was trained by and drive for CFI. I think they are a great company with great training. Try to find the company that fits you best. Look in our diaries section to learn about what training is like. Good luck and we are here to help.
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.
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.
Over The Road:
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.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.
Hi and congrats on your achievements. i dont want to sound pessimisstic but i fear trucking could be hazardous to your health and make you slide backward. i know DOT has rules about diabetes, but idk what...be sure to research it.
not only does trucking take a lot of committment, but trying to keep your diabetes under control will also. i would hate to see you spiral downwards. im extremely healthy, the doctors basically told me im the heathliest overweight person they ever saw..and yet, i gained 20 pounds in 3 years. yikes i know. part of this was the job and part was a birth control pill i used. now im off that birth control and still havent lost the weight.
eating right OTR is a struggle cause honestly, im just not motivated to do it and im lazy about it. my metabolism is so slow that it takes an incredible amount of exercise to get and keep me at my optimal weight....like serious need to teadmill, swim and weights an hour each 3 to 4 times a week. not happening in trucking. i did it for years before trucking and lost the desire and motivation during my training and transition into my new lifestyle.
the point is, you need to know yourself and your body and truly commit to both trucking and being healthy. it will.not be easy.
good luck
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.
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.
Hi and congrats on your achievements. i dont want to sound pessimisstic but i fear trucking could be hazardous to your health and make you slide backward. i know DOT has rules about diabetes, but idk what...be sure to research it.
not only does trucking take a lot of committment, but trying to keep your diabetes under control will also. i would hate to see you spiral downwards. im extremely healthy, the doctors basically told me im the heathliest overweight person they ever saw..and yet, i gained 20 pounds in 3 years. yikes i know. part of this was the job and part was a birth control pill i used. now im off that birth control and still havent lost the weight.
eating right OTR is a struggle cause honestly, im just not motivated to do it and im lazy about it. my metabolism is so slow that it takes an incredible amount of exercise to get and keep me at my optimal weight....like serious need to teadmill, swim and weights an hour each 3 to 4 times a week. not happening in trucking. i did it for years before trucking and lost the desire and motivation during my training and transition into my new lifestyle.
the point is, you need to know yourself and your body and truly commit to both trucking and being healthy. it will.not be easy.
good luck
My wife had the same issue, and found out finally that she had thyroid issues. She does workout, and eats right, but has lost over 50 lbs in about a year
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.
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.New Reply:
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I am on disability and receive 1309.00 a month and I am thinking of going to get my cdl and going back to work over the road but my major problem is missing my home and wife and if I start training and get paid for it I loose my income but time I pay all the bills I have about 100.00 left need some advice please.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Over The Road:
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.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.