Back With Swift After False Start With Another Company
Topic 488 | Page 1
Glad to have ya back!
I've gotta say, I don't see what's so unreasonable about asking for medical records when they know you have issues they're concerned about. Especially in trucking. You're going to drive an 80,000 pound rig with their name on the side. They're responsible if something happens to you out there medically that they didn't know about. And just to be in trucking in the first place you've already been photographed and tested by the state for driving, backing, pre-trip, and book work. You've had criminal, medical, driving, and employment background checks done. If you have a Hazmat endorsement then you've even been fingerprinted and had a background check done by the Federal Government. You've had physicals and interviews and drug tests. Now after all that you've drawn the line at medical records? Well that's definitely your right. But to say you were treated unfairly in my mind is completely unfounded.
I mean, you're saying it's your right to withhold your medical information but it's not their right to learn all they can about someone before putting them in one of their trucks and taking responsibility for them? Baloney. It's your right to keep your medical facts a secret, and it's their right to keep you from driving one of their trucks if they can't get the assurances they need that you're safe to drive.
In my mind, nobody did anything wrong. They weren't comfortable putting you in a truck with the information they had, and you weren't comfortable giving them any more information. Everyone stayed well within their rights. Unfortunately, no agreement could be reached. That's just life sometimes. But I don't see grounds for criticizing or crying foul from either side on this one. It's simply a matter of not being able to reach an agreement, that's all.
HAZMAT:
Hazardous Materials
Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations
Gotta say, Brett is spot on, again.
When my company hired me, they demanded my Military medical records. I disclosed all of my medical problems(surgeries) when i filled out my app and talked to them. They still wanted to see my records. I have had two knee surgeries, a back surgery, and hernia surgery. They wanted to ensure it wasn't going to affect my job performance, which I can understand.
I had the VA send them my records. My doctor also sent them a letter stating the only limitation I had was lifting more than 150 pounds. Anything other than that I was good to go.
They are putting you in an 80,000 pound truck and taking full liability for you. If they put you in a truck, and you have an accident, and it is found out the accident was because of your medical condition, the company is going to lose a boat load of money. Can you blame them for wanting to know everything before they put you behind the wheel?
Lucky13....I just qualifies the statement..."The grass is not always greener at another trucking company.I'm really glad that Swift gave you a 2nd chance...your a credit to their fleet.
Here is how I look at it. Until I get a chance to go over my medical records, IN THEIR ENTIRETY (and remember, I served in the Army for over 20 years), then I would be reluctant to let anyone else look at my medical records. Heck, when I was retiring, there was someone else's records mixed in with mine. The military sometimes has records in duplicate and triplicate. Do you think I want a NONVETERAN trying to decipher something that happened to me in 2002or 2006, if it is NONREOCCURRING?
Dave
Heck, Dave...I won't even submit to a hair folicle drug test, cuz I don't want em to get my dna....my medical records are my personal business. If a letter from my doctor isn't good enough, then i'm whizzin' on the wrong fire hydrant....
BMI:
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:
- Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
- Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit
It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.
my medical records are my personal business
That would be true if:
1) You weren't putting the public at risk. By driving a rig that could kill people if a medical condition caused you to lose control, your medical condition could be putting others at risk.
2) You weren't putting the company you drive for at risk. If a medical condition causes an accident and the company gets sued, the money isn't coming out of your pocket, it's coming out of theirs. So they're the ones taking the risk on your medical condition by hiring you as a driver.
When you're in a position where your medical condition is potentially putting others at risk, it's no longer just your business. It is also the business of anyone potentially put at risk based upon your medical condition. And doesn't that make sense? It's not hard to imagine how you'd feel if you're driving down the road minding your own business and a trucker with Epilepsy has a seizure, loses control, and runs you over. When you find out what happened, you're going to be furious that someone with such a potentially serious condition was allowed behind the wheel and put everyone at risk.
Guyjax has a good way of saying it - something to the effect of "your rights end where the rights of others begin".
Brett, that is true, but...WE are required to disclose our medical conditions, surgeries, etc. when we fill out the medical questionaire. Heck, some companies say if you snore, you suffer from sleep apnea. Here's one. I suffer from vertigo. I didn't even know that I did. It is in my Army and VA medical records. How does one get vertigo in the Army? Get dizzy by getting up too fast, after resting, I guess. Is it even me they are talking about. Maybe someone entered something wrong on the computer, and vertigo was supposed to be entered under another persons name.
Dave
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
Dave, in all honesty, I have no idea what the point is you're trying to make. And I don't mean that in a smart-ass way. I just don't know what you're trying to say.
Dave, in all honesty, I have no idea what the point is you're trying to make. And I don't mean that in a smart-ass way. I just don't know what you're trying to say.
Brett, my medical records are as thick as an Ayn Rand novel. THAT'S BIG. Included in it is everytime I went to sick call, which wasn't often; everytime I was dehydrate, etc. What EXACTLY are these people looking for? If I don't know what is in my medical records, I am NOT about to let a lawyer "interpret" what my medical records say.
Dave
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It's been quite a while since I posted here. Last December or January, I believe. I like the new Forum, btw. Well, at that time I had decided to leave Swift for another company which promised a regional route, better wages, and decent home time. I'm sorry to say it didn't work out that way. I won't mention the company again. I've heard many drivers are happy there. I wasn't. For starters, no sooner did I get signed up for orientation when I was told that the regional position had been filled and that I was to be assigned to the Intermodal division. I was not thrilled to learn that. Then, after passing a DOT physical as well as a fitness test, a drug test, road test, and a backing test, the safety manager demanded a whole lot more medical information than I was willing to give. Basically, because of an ADD medication I take, the safety manager wanted all of my doctor's notes for the past 2 years. That basically meant I had to release my medical records in their entirety to the company. I wasn't going to do it. In fact, my doctor even advised me against it and offered to send any approval they needed. The new company wouldn't let me work until I handed over the information, and refused to e mail or fax my doctor and state exactly what information they were looking for. This was after my doctor had sent every medical release the company requested. Finally, after 2 weeks of sitting at home not making any money and little or no communication from the new company,I called Swift back and said I wanted to work. Fortunately, Swift took me back and reinstated me in the same local fleet with the same schedule and pay as before instead of making me go through the re-hire process. It was a costly and upsetting ordeal to go through. I don't like to complain, but I have to say I'm not impressed with being treated the way I was. The safety manager's attitude and actions just said to me-"We don't care. Give us everything or go away." I went away then, without even being assigned a truck or doing anything other than going through orientation. I was a bit surprised that they spent money hiring me and then didn't give a rip what I did. I could see that reaction from them had I lied on an application or had tickets or accidents on my DOT record. Neither was the case. I also passed all of their physical and driving requirements. To tell the truth, it made me mad and really soured me on some of the promises that trucking companies are making right now. Some of them are desperate for drivers and with that comes desperate promises. I still love driving and am glad to be a trucker, but thinking about whether or not I want to stay local. More on that later. Anyway, I'm glad to be posting again in the new Forum.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
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.
Intermodal:
Transporting freight using two or more transportation modes. An example would be freight that is moved by truck from the shipper's dock to the rail yard, then placed on a train to the next rail yard, and finally returned to a truck for delivery to the receiving customer.
In trucking when you hear someone refer to an intermodal job they're normally talking about hauling shipping containers to and from the shipyards and railyards.