Will Psychiatric Drugs Prevent A Trucking Career?
Topic 25407 | Page 1
The only people who will be able to tell you that is the companies you apply for. If it's a legal prescription med that is allowed by fmcsa it could still be denied by your company
CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
FMCSA:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000. Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.
What Does The FMCSA Do?
- Commercial Drivers' Licenses
- Data and Analysis
- Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
- Research and Technology
- Safety Assistance
- Support and Information Sharing
Fm:
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.
Hello Alondra, and welcome to our forum!
It's probably going to be an issue. Here's the best way to approach this. Go to a Paid CDL Training Program. They will make sure everything is squared away before putting you through their training program. If you go to a private school, they will gladly take the money and help you get a CDL, but then it's quiet possible nobody will hire you because of your meds.
More than likely whoever signs you up will want you to get your physician to change your meds to something more agreeable for commercial driving. If you want to apply to some training programs click on that link I gave you and start doing some research into the programs available.
There's just no way to know how this will all play out until you start applying and talking with recruiters. You may very well have to attend an orientation and then go back home to work out some changes with your physician.
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.
I forgot to say we've seen several people on psych medications become professional drivers. They just had to get their meds adjusted and changed to something their employer would accept.
It's also important to realize that this job is very demanding. A lot of people who aren't needing medication seem to need it after a year or so on the road. If you have trouble dealing with stress, pressure, and very long working hours, I'd be wary of thinking this is a good choice of careers.
If stress is a strong trigger for your issues then it's going to be pretty tough on you at the beginning. It takes a good couple of years out here to settle into a position of being comfortable and confident in the job.
Check out this link:
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.
Due to legal reasons, most recruiters are not allowed to disclose information on medications. Many of the large carriers have a Doctor on staff. You MAY be able to speak directly to Him/Her. Do NOT pay any money to ANY CDL School. Many private schools will gladly accept your money. The problem lies in whether any Carrier will hire you. Take Old Schools advice and go with Company Sponsored Training. Good luck!
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.
Company Sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
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So I am thinking seriously about going to truck driving school. The only issue is that I take psych meds will that be a problem for me getting into school? Seeing that this has always been my dream and I am not the 1 to give up easily. I’m out of work and really looking for a future.