Studying For Cdl Permit, Worried About My IBS Issues While On Truck

I'm studying for my cdl permit which I plan on taking any day now. But my biggest concern is I have IBS that really gets going once I wake up in the mornings. I know I can't always be near a restroom. Most of the day I'm good with rare occasions as long as I take my lopermide, but I'm concerned about spending several weeks on a truck with someone, while trying to keep "normal" appearances. How do I take a poo when I wake up if we're sitting beside the road? Or how do I manage it without making it seem to the trainer That I'm always needing to go? After I'm in my own truck I know it's much easier for me. There's options when you're alone. Any advice from other ibs sufferers would be very welcome. Thanks

Until they start putting real bathrooms in standard trucks, this is an issue all drivers deal with to one degree or another. What I can say, is that a regular 5 gal. bucket can be carried on the truck. The plastic bags from Walmart and grocery stores fits the rim of the bucket and can be used as a liner. Once used, it can be tied up and disposed of. Just dispose of it properly.

You're just going to have to be up front and honest with everyone involved. Forget about trying to keep normal appearances. That's setting yourself and your trainer up for a difficult time. One of my former trainees had a similar issue, and we dealt with it without any problems because I was aware of it from the beginning.

Part of being a trainer is accepting the fact that you'll have to accommodate someone else on your truck. Part of that accommodation is working with the other person so that everyone is comfortable.

As you mentioned, once you're on your own truck there are ways to deal with this. Don't sweat it, just confront it.

Thank you. That makes sense. Its always an embarrassing thing to have to deal with. But I'm glad to hear that a trainer dealt with it just fine, that makes me feel a lot better. I guess there's little secrets between two people spending weeks together in such a tiny space. It's my own little shameful thing I have to deal with, and one I know wouldn't affect my ability to drive, but one that I fear would make them disqualify me like other employers have in the past.

I'll make sure to let the company know so they can help find me a trainer that can take this into account.

Now to get over my crippling fear of pooping in a public restroom. 😅Lmao.

You're just going to have to be up front and honest with everyone involved. Forget about trying to keep normal appearances. That's setting yourself and your trainer up for a difficult time. One of my former trainees had a similar issue, and we dealt with it without any problems because I was aware of it from the beginning.

Part of being a trainer is accepting the fact that you'll have to accommodate someone else on your truck. Part of that accommodation is working with the other person so that everyone is comfortable.

As you mentioned, once you're on your own truck there are ways to deal with this. Don't sweat it, just confront it.

I've seen little camper toilets with the bags, and one trucker on YouTube showed how he lines the bag with kitty litter to keep it all... Clean for lack of better words. What cracks me up are the truckers on the forums that say they just go between the tractor and trailer on the side of the highway. I'd rather die lol.

Thanks for your input.

Until they start putting real bathrooms in standard trucks, this is an issue all drivers deal with to one degree or another. What I can say, is that a regular 5 gal. bucket can be carried on the truck. The plastic bags from Walmart and grocery stores fits the rim of the bucket and can be used as a liner. Once used, it can be tied up and disposed of. Just dispose of it properly.

I have a 5 gallon bucket that I’ve taken camping but have yet to use it because it hasn’t been enough of an emergency to not make it to the bath house but it’s nice to have just in case. It has a seat on it so you’re not just on the rim. I picked it up from ****s sporting goods. Also those medical urinals come in handy too.

Just do everyone a favor and don’t drop your poop bags outside your door at a truck stop where someone could climb down and step in it in the middle of the night. I now look before I climb out after barely dodging a doo while OTR.

From a Trainers Perspective.....

What the OP.said "I have IBS that really gets going once I wake up in the mornings"

My question:

What exactly does this mean?

If it means you are stopping every 30 minutes or more then no.... Trucking isn't for you and NO I don't have to accommodate. The trainee needs to be able to do the job.

I had a guy who stopped every 90 miles while he was driving and went to the bathroom and ate. He wasted 45 minutes at a time, stopping in truck stops for crapping and eating.

It took him 10 hours to drive 300 miles (which I do in 5 hours). I then had to drive 700 miles per night using my entire clock just to make up for his loss of miles. He put me at risk for late deliveries.

One woman with severe IBS told me she wanted to crap in a bucket while driving my truck and "yeah, I will need to go every 20 minutes or so, but it is a quick side of the road thing."

Uh.... No... Not going to work in trucking.

Now if we are talking you wake and can allow.me.to drive 30 miles to a truck stop.... Not an issue. If you mean as soon as you wake.... Explosive diarrhea will be all over my $4000 mattress... That is a huge issue.

This same woman explained that she once took a drive in her car through UT and crapped herself so badly she used a sheet to clean herself off then wrapped herself in another sheet as a toga to continue to drive. She then told me I had to train her or she would sue Prime and me personally.

She attended PSD in the salt lake city terminal... And used the restroom so much they wanted to test her for covid. She couldn't complete the backing maneuver without having to run to the restroom.

Yes we have seen it all here.

Thankfully I'm nowhere near that bad. It's usually I wake up and for the first 45 minutes I'm on toilet. After that I'm pretty much good to go for the day, and unless it becomes a rare occasion that I have to stop, then I go all day before having to stop and use bathroom again before bed. Some mornings are harder than others, but my current job has me driving up to 250 miles to the different job sites each day, and I never really have to stop to use bathroom, as long as I was able to get my morning 45-60 minutes. I usually make sure I'm awake and up before everyone else needs to be so I can take care of business. But it's more just worried while I'm in training about having the embarrassment of running to the bathroom each morning. Once I'm in my own truck that won't be a concern for me. I'll get a camper toilet or something for when I can't stop at a truck stop for emergencies. But no... My ibs isn't nearly that bad. As long as I get to go in the mornings (ie after I've been laying down for hours), then I'm pretty much good to go the rest of the day.

From a Trainers Perspective.....

What the OP.said "I have IBS that really gets going once I wake up in the mornings"

My question:

What exactly does this mean?

If it means you are stopping every 30 minutes or more then no.... Trucking isn't for you and NO I don't have to accommodate. The trainee needs to be able to do the job.

I had a guy who stopped every 90 miles while he was driving and went to the bathroom and ate. He wasted 45 minutes at a time, stopping in truck stops for crapping and eating.

It took him 10 hours to drive 300 miles (which I do in 5 hours). I then had to drive 700 miles per night using my entire clock just to make up for his loss of miles. He put me at risk for late deliveries.

One woman with severe IBS told me she wanted to crap in a bucket while driving my truck and "yeah, I will need to go every 20 minutes or so, but it is a quick side of the road thing."

Uh.... No... Not going to work in trucking.

Now if we are talking you wake and can allow.me.to drive 30 miles to a truck stop.... Not an issue. If you mean as soon as you wake.... Explosive diarrhea will be all over my $4000 mattress... That is a huge issue.

This same woman explained that she once took a drive in her car through UT and crapped herself so badly she used a sheet to clean herself off then wrapped herself in another sheet as a toga to continue to drive. She then told.me.8nhad to train her or she would sue Prime and me personally.

She attended PSD in the salt lake city terminal... And used the restroom so much they wanted to test her for covid. She couldn't complete the backing maneuver without having to run to the restroom.

Yes we have seen it all here.

Glad you aren't that bad but, here is something you need to consider.. do not train anywhere that does team training. As far as I know, Schneider and CFI do not do team training, they run as a solo truck, and you do all the driving. The truck is parked for a 10-hour break. So set your clock and be up an hour before you need to leave.

You assumed that you would have 45 minutes to an hour at the beginning of the day. And that you are parked somewhere. With team training, there is no way I could park for an hour when you get up. I drive when you are sleeping. And honestly, there are plenty of times my students wake up and we could be 100 miles to a restroom. There are some desolate parts of the country.

So cut CRST, Prime, Swift, Wilson off your list.

Can the others put any companies below that does solo only training?

Can the others put any companies below that does solo only training?

I start training with Veriha on Monday and have been told the truck is run as a solo operation. In fact, the recruiter told me some are trained OTR , some regional , and some are trained by a home-daily driver, but in a sleeper, and the student sleeps alone in the truck somewhere with some sort of facilities such as a truck stop. Maybe Brandon could request that last option.