Profile For Kenneth P.

I am sure we’re both the better for it Zen.

Just wrapped up my first week of orientation with Schneider. It’s been comprehensive training and they definitely teach you how to become a Schneider driver. Safety comes first. Teaching you the right way to get in and out of the truck, buckling up before shutting the door, never getting out of the truck with the engine running, or the keys in the ignition, etc….. they start with the basics, and expect improvement each day.

We started with 9 in our class, we are down to 3. They actually let me drive on the Friday of my first week, and I did my first 90 degree back in. Getting good praise so far for how I am performing but I am still relying on the grace of God to carry me through the remaining weeks should I be lucky enough to get that far.

Our lead instructor is a hard ass, but seems to be fair. Enjoying the weekend off but I’ll hit the books tomorrow to continue learning how to be a Schneider driver.

God is good!

Kenneth, you have discovered the greatest weapon against any adversity in life which is prayer. Follow that path and success will be yours. I took MJ for chronic pain for a couple of years and I now rely solely on prayer. God Bless!

Stress is subjective and feeling stressed is not an automatic trigger to re-engage in prior drug use.

One, you assume the prior drug use was for stress management purposes. Mine was not. I had chronic pain associated with a severely arthritic hip. I was also a 40 year user of chewing tobacco but I kicked that habit too.

It’s good to feel good about yourself with regards to your beating your prior addiction. You should be proud of that. The rest of your post came across as being a bit sanctimonious. You don’t know my story nor have you walked in my shoes. Stress? Again it’s subjective and how people deal with their stress is directly related to the internal self discipline one has.

There will be no revisiting past vices because I lack the mental and spiritual discipline to deal with what life in the trucking world throws at me. When stressed, and I expect to be stressed and tested in many ways as I navigate a career in trucking, I will fall to my knees and pray.

I know without question that in 12 months, 24 months or 60 months I’ll be telling you the same thing if you’re still around to read it, and that is “I’m still marijuana free.” I got into trucking not because I viewed it as a cakewalk. It’s taken a lot to get the opportunity to drive a big rig. I’m excited and driven by the challenge of it, and I’ll handle the stress of it just fine in never forgetting what it has taken to get to where I have this opportunity.

Thank you for your sage advice. I’ll keep it in mind.

Hello and welcome,

Due to the never ending influx of “Hey man, I smoke weed and I need a trucking job, how do I pass a drug test?” posts that happen in here on a very regular basis, here is a blanket reply that cuts right to the chase…

THE GOLDEN RULE OF MARIJUANA, TRUCKING, and DRUG TESTS is to wait 12 months from last use before applying for a trucking job for (2) reasons. First, it will guaranty that any THC compounds and/or cannabanoids will be thoroughly purged from your system regardless of your health, body mass, and how much you previously used. Second, you will have proven to yourself, and the trucking industry that you are in full control of yourself and are a “past user” versus an addict. Users can walk away and stay away. Addicts are dependent on the THC and cannot quit without professional intervention or alternate therapies. The problem is so many chronic “dependent” users think they can cope without it moving forward and relapse. If you relapse, reset the 12 month clock.

FIVE REASONS YOU SHOULD NOT EVEN BOTHER BECOMING A TRUCK DRIVER:

- 70% of first year drivers (the majority of which don’t use drugs) wash out and quit due to the stress, job demands, and social isolation.

-Tractor/trailer combos are nearly 70 feet long and can weigh 40 tons and can potentially injure or kill scores of people if the driver is impaired by controlled substances. Loss of limb or life and multi-million dollar losses to carriers and/or their insurance companies are not uncommon in severe trucking accidents. Think about that.

-You can and will be tested at random intervals and can face strict penalties if you test positive.

-Do you honestly believe that you will avoid using literally 100% of the time (including your time off)? That is what is will take to even stand a chance at making a go of this.

-Trucking is the 7th most dangerous job in America, has the 4th highest suicide rate of any occupation, and is always near the top for divorce rate. Do you have the mental constitution to ignore stress and make quick and correct decisions in an emergency WITHOUT having your mind numbed by drugs? An average sober person does not. Ponder that for a minute as it’s a huge question “Can I manage extreme stress while sober for the long haul?”

FREQUENT MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT TRUCKING AND MARIJUANA:

This may not be what you wanted to hear but perhaps what you needed to hear. Trucking is brutally stressful and demanding lifestyle change. Frankly, if you can’t face and handle stress and react quickly under pressure and have any severe emotional problems, then you likely have a 99% chance of failure. Not trying to be harsh, but most people with mental health and/or chemical dependency issues will have a nearly impossible uphill battle in this field.

I myself am a prior marijuana user myself who has permanently quit prior to trucking. You can do it too! Please come back if/when you are clean for 12 months and there will be an abundance of support to get your career off to a great start! If you cannot stay clean, then there is no shame, in fact there is great respect if you will do the right thing and scratch trucking off of your list of options and find a career better suited to your situation. I pray that you will find not only employment soon, but also greater peace and fulfillment in your life.

Just got the results back from hair follicle test.

Negative.

Spending $120 for some reassurance is worth every penny. We spend a lot of time and money pursuing a CDL so it made less sense to me to risk an uncertain outcome that could potentially sideline or stall a career in trucking.

If you have doubts you’ll test clean step up and get your own test.

$120 for the test

I pulled the trigger on paying for a hair follicle test in advance of the start of my orientation. Too much riding on going into orientation

Kenneth, if you don't mind my asking,what was the freight on the self pay follicle test?

And kudos to you for being willing to commit your own resources to ensuring your success in your new career, and being willing to go into it 100%. Too many people these days (in my very opinionated opinion) expect everything to be handed to them, to have no skin in any game that involves an employer. Your dedication before hand bodes well for your continued success in this profession.

$120 for the test

I pulled the trigger on paying for a hair follicle test in advance of the start of my orientation. Too much riding on going into orientation

Kenneth, if you don't mind my asking,what was the freight on the self pay follicle test?

And kudos to you for being willing to commit your own resources to ensuring your success in your new career, and being willing to go into it 100%. Too many people these days (in my very opinionated opinion) expect everything to be handed to them, to have no skin in any game that involves an employer. Your dedication before hand bodes well for your continued success in this profession.

I pulled the trigger on paying for a hair follicle test in advance of the start of my orientation. Too much riding on going into orientation not 100% confident I could pass a hair test. There is no going back to smoking pot as I am all in on making this CDL career choice happen and viable for the rest of my working life. I will not sabotage myself of the opportunities I could pursue.

I hope to have my results back by the end of the week.

I start orientation next week and will be subjected to a hair follicle test. I'm passing UA's with no problem. It's been 8 months this coming Monday since I abstained from smoking "legal" marijuana. yeah, it's only illegal on the Federal level. Not every pot smoker does it for the "high". I had debilitating osteoarthritis in my right hip that required my hip to be replaced. That took place a year ago in October, I stuck with the puff puff through my physical therapy. It was a pain management issue and I chose pot over opiates.

I have no scalp hair in sufficient length or quantities to test. I have no body hair either, other than pubic hair and facial hair. I'm hairless on my legs, underarms, and my chest. Facial hair grows at a similar rate as scalp hair. If left uncut, my facial hair would have grown out 4 inches in the 8 months I have abstained from smoking pot. I have about 3/8s to 1/2 inch of hair on my face at present. Might grow out another 1/8 of an inch by this coming Monday. I am 59 years old, and slightly overweight. I eat healthy, don't drink, and have never used any other drugs other than pot.

after 8 months of abstinence and my facial hair only being at most 5/8s of an inch long by the time I submit to the follicle test, I pray I'll be more than clean and submit a negative sample. I can't wait the full year as many have suggested. I'm dying to make some money as Bidenomics isn't working for me and I have legitimate concerns the economy may start changing in the last quarter making it even more difficult to find gainful employment. Just hoping for some reassurance I'll likely be fine and will pass my hair test next week.

Well I am worried from the standpoint that I am out of my element. Lots of factors in play. Age I’m late 50’s, I’m slightly overweight, only hair I can offer is facial hair, there is information out there about reintoxication when a person loses weight and burns existing fat, which can cause THC metabolites to be released in the bloodstream long after the cessation of consumption of marijuana has stopped. The problem with going to a private lab is I’d have to give them what little hair I have to offer, my facial hair which means it would be be necessary to put of my onboarding for at least a month or two.

I did another home urine test and it was negative. But I know the hair test is a lot bigger deal at this point and I just don’t have complete confidence I’m in the clear.

I guess I should call my recruiter and tell a story about how I’ll have to delay orientation for a couple months. I hope the offer is still there.

If you are really worried, look to find a private lab that will test your hair and only disclose the results to you. After getting a clean test result you can then test out anywhere else without worry. Will cost you some bucks out of pocket, but should ease your mind.

Facial hair is my only option. I just have no scalp or body hair in sufficient quantities for testing.

I went for a private test before an official one. First lab said they couldn't use facial hair but second one did, although at the tester's suggestion I gave up armpit hair as he said he'd have to take part of my beard right to the chin.

I know I am beating this topic to death, but its that important to me.

I am fairly certain that what hair I have on my face was not hair that was present back in January of 2023. I know how much I see in the sink after I trim with the clippers, and I've definitely put more in the sink over the last seven months than appears on my face at present. Is it probable I am good to go, or would waiting another month be prudent? I cannot risk failing a hair follicle test and I don't want to wait a full year before I submit to a test.

Your hair, from any part of your body can be used (Yes, any part). The collection is about 1/4" worth .

Lol yeah I offered that up if necessary, but they told me they will not take pubic hair as a sample.

Ken queries:

Does this also apply to facial hair?

The lab only uses the latest 90 days of hair. (Hair does grow at about the same rate "all over".) The in-hair chemicals are too deteriorated to be useful older than that.

Hair sprouting from your body is hair. Generally it all grows about the same rate. Maybe your face hair isn't worth that much, as you wash you face more than you head (mostly) and all the rubbing it might get.

Remember this anthem form the Age of Hippie:

Hair (hair, hair, hair, hair, hair)
Grow it, show it
Long as I can grow it
My hair

Hair down there?