GETTING STARTED AT 65.......

Greetings! Hope some of you will be able to help some of my questions regarding my childhood dream. First off, I'm sixty-five in good health, active and have great reflexes. I wear glasses but other than the corrective lenses, my eye sight is good! I've spent my whole life in the hospitality industry and recently been laid off due to the economic downturn. So it is time for me to pursue my childhood dream. As a kid, teenager and adult I have always been drawn towards the big rigs! Building truck models (AMT) as a kid and feeling like a kid in a candy store whenever we stopped at T&A on our family trips as an adult. I've always loved driving the open road! OK, OK, OK.....To the questions.....I'll make them bullet points so I'm not long winded.

* 65 yrs old, will a trucking company even look at hiring me?

* 65 yrs old, will a trucking company sponsor my training or for that matter pay for it?

* I plan on working at least for another 10 yrs......once my contract is over and I am in good standings with the company, will I have the option of going part-time?

* Drug test (Hair Follicle) not sure if I had read this info here or on another site but I would like some clarification. First off I'm clean since early December. I had medical prescription for weed, but since doing research I have heard that you need to be free of all toxins for at least 6 months to be completely sure you will not fail a test. Is this true? Can I test earlier without worry?

* Schools, so if I enroll in school in 5 1/2 months of absence and finish school at the six month mark will I get tested then to go on the road or does the school test you because you are being sponsored by a company?

* So after training and I'm on my own are there companies out there that allow drivers to take their wife with them on the road or is it only owner operators that I see coupled up?

Thanks for your time and I appreciate your help and feedback......hopefully one day I'll be able to meet some of you on the open road... "Till then Safe Travels!!

* 65 yrs old, will a trucking company even look at hiring me?

-If you can pass a DOT physical and drug test, sure.

* 65 yrs old, will a trucking company sponsor my training or for that matter pay for it?

-Look at the mega carriers. This site is big proponents of company sponsored training , because of the relative low risk, near guarantee of employment once you pass the skills exam, and the speed with which your contract term goes by.

* I plan on working at least for another 10 yrs......once my contract is over and I am in good standings with the company, will I have the option of going part-time?

-"Part time" really is not something that is part of the main stream trucking experience. Sure, there are niche companies and opportunities out there, but PT is the very rare exception, not the rule.

* Drug test (Hair Follicle) not sure if I had read this info here or on another site but I would like some clarification. First off I'm clean since early December. I had medical prescription for weed, but since doing research I have heard that you need to be free of all toxins for at least 6 months to be completely sure you will not fail a test. Is this true? Can I test earlier without worry?

-Wait until you are 100 percent certain you can pass a drug test, follicle or otherwise. Failing a pre employment drug screen is one of the fastest ways to kill the opportunity of a new career.

* Schools, so if I enroll in school in 5 1/2 months of absence and finish school at the six month mark will I get tested then to go on the road or does the school test you because you are being sponsored by a company?

-My personal opinion is don't waste your time on a "driving school" as many of the companies that train you, will have you test after 2-3 weeks. Then they put you with a trainer/mentor depending on the company. Driving schools carry the risk of not being employed by the end of school, and you wind up with a stale CDL , no job, and more hurdles to jump through.

* So after training and I'm on my own are there companies out there that allow drivers to take their wife with them on the road or is it only owner operators that I see coupled up?

-Many companies allow a rider, some with no extra fees. The rules vary as to how soon you can have a passenger.

* Drug test (Hair Follicle) not sure if I had read this info here or on another site but I would like some clarification. First off I'm clean since early December. I had medical prescription for weed, but since doing research I have heard that you need to be free of all toxins for at least 6 months to be completely sure you will not fail a test. Is this true? Can I test earlier without worry?

Hi George, I can shed a little insight on the bullet point above. The answer to this questions is always clear as mud. How long it will take the residual compounds of THC to be completed evacuated from your body and NOT show up in a hair sample.

Before getting into that, as someone that quit cold turkey permanently in October, you too will need to accept complete and total abstinence from Marijuana for as long as you hold a CDL without any exceptions so hopefully you have found a better solution to the medical condition that you were treating. Prepare to be done with Marijuana permanently going into trucking.

So here's the deal and why the answer is clear as mud. How quickly THC compounds are expelled from the body depends on several factors and some are very hard to determine

* Total Body Fat * Metabolism *Your body's efficiency in detoxing *How much MJ you used and how often you used and for how long? *Edibles tend to embed more than smoking

I am shooting for the minimum static case study of 90 days since last use which is a stretch, but I am 46, in very good shape, and at Thanksgiving when I was sure I was pursuing a career in trucking, I shaved literally everything but the eyebrows and eyelashes. From there I proceeded to grow out a beard and I used some other natural methods of detox which many would consider outlandish that I will not post about. ANYWAYS, I have an application in with a carrier and my application is on hold until I get my CLP and DOT physical. In the MEANTIME, I ponied up $180 and paid for my own private hair follicle test from a diagnostics lab to confirm whether or not my system is clean with results due back tomorrow or Monday. After my career of 20 years collapsed, I can't wait too much longer. If it comes back positive, I'll be taking more money out of my 401k to pay for another test and buy a $235 bottle of shampoo and retest 15 days after. That is the price I am happy to pay for a fresh start and a new career.

Here is the catch, if you DO test positive with a carrier, the consequences are devastating and the results of the test will likely end up in the Clearinghouse for 3 years and EVERY carrier will know you failed a drug test and your prospects for a trucking career will likely be toast

So what should you do? You may have something I don't...time. As a veteran moderator "Old School" in this forum suggests, the only REAL safe bet especially if you used any amount of cannabis is to wait 1 full year. If that is not an option you MUST wait 3-6 months and pay $150-$200 for a private hair test to be absolutely sure. Under 1 year, you MUST get tested before your employer does a hair test to be sure.

The experienced drivers in here should be able to assist with your other questions. Best of luck Sir!

On the issue of being tested and going to school...

Whether a private school you pay for, a school run by a company, or a 3rd party school paid for by a company, you will be tested before you begin training. You will not be allowed to begin training until you have a test result returned and the test result being clean. Don't try playing around with the timing of it. Wait until you are certain to be clean before even attempting to begin training. If you fail a pre-employment test or fail a test to attend a school, it will kill your career before it starts.

To clarify, the DOT test to get the CLP is a urine test and THC only stay is urine about 30 days. You can buy a urine test kit at Walmart for around $20 to be sure you will pass the DOT physical.

The hair follicle test is done by the hiring carrier and that can trace THC back 90-360 days depending on several variables.

On the issue of being tested and going to school...

Whether a private school you pay for, a school run by a company, or a 3rd party school paid for by a company, you will be tested before you begin training. You will not be allowed to begin training until you have a test result returned and the test result being clean. Don't try playing around with the timing of it. Wait until you are certain to be clean before even attempting to begin training. If you fail a pre-employment test or fail a test to attend a school, it will kill your career before it starts.

To clarify, the DOT test to get the CLP is a urine test and THC only stay is urine about 30 days. You can buy a urine test kit at Walmart for around $20 to be sure you will pass the DOT physical.

The hair follicle test is done by the hiring carrier and that can trace THC back 90-360 days depending on several variables.

On the issue of being tested and going to school...

Whether a private school you pay for, a school run by a company, or a 3rd party school paid for by a company, you will be tested before you begin training. You will not be allowed to begin training until you have a test result returned and the test result being clean. Don't try playing around with the timing of it. Wait until you are certain to be clean before even attempting to begin training. If you fail a pre-employment test or fail a test to attend a school, it will kill your career before it starts.

If training for CLP and hiring carrier are one in the same, I am not sure I would want to test the theory of only having a urine test upon starting training. Yes, DOT testing is urine only, but a company has the option to use both methods, so long as urine is tested.

Absolutely correct Ryan. I apologize for the confusion on that. IF one wanted to go to a private trucking school (not the best path vs. Company Sponsored training) you could technically get your CLP and CDL without a hair test but would likely face one with any major carrier.

Be safe out there man..thanks!

To clarify, the DOT test to get the CLP is a urine test and THC only stay is urine about 30 days. You can buy a urine test kit at Walmart for around $20 to be sure you will pass the DOT physical.

The hair follicle test is done by the hiring carrier and that can trace THC back 90-360 days depending on several variables.

On the issue of being tested and going to school...

Whether a private school you pay for, a school run by a company, or a 3rd party school paid for by a company, you will be tested before you begin training. You will not be allowed to begin training until you have a test result returned and the test result being clean. Don't try playing around with the timing of it. Wait until you are certain to be clean before even attempting to begin training. If you fail a pre-employment test or fail a test to attend a school, it will kill your career before it starts.

If training for CLP and hiring carrier are one in the same, I am not sure I would want to test the theory of only having a urine test upon starting training. Yes, DOT testing is urine only, but a company has the option to use both methods, so long as urine is tested.

George, someone mentioned that they had an independent, private hair follicle test done at their own expense. It sounds like you should do the same for your peace of mind.

* I plan on working at least for another 10 yrs......once my contract is over and I am in good standings with the company, will I have the option of going part-time?

Amazon and FedEx Ground contractors hire part time drivers. The ones I've seen require six or twelve months experience. Several USPS contractors, including Alan Ritchey, EVO, Matheson, and 10 Roads Express have part time driver positions that require either one or two years experience.

NaeNae really hit the nail on the head with everything.

Honestly as far as the weed goes just make absolutely sure your can pass a urine test and then go to a company that doesn’t do hair follicular testing. That’s the most simple solution.

No, a failed hair follicle test doesn’t go into the FMCSA Clearinghouse (how the federal government keeps track of failed drug tests basically) but companies talk to each other and you would still find yourself killing your career before you even started if you failed or refused any type of drug test. There are a lot of companies out there still that don’t do hair follicle testing and all you have to do is ask them about it. It’s not sketchy or weird to avoid companies with hair follicle testing as it’s not a test currently required by the federal government and it’s understandable that you had a prescription and you quit but don’t want to wait 6+ months before getting into trucking.

ZenJoker…obviously do what’s best and right for you but I’d recommend the same thing I’m telling OP. Just forget the hair follicle test and go with a company that doesn’t do one.