Profile For David K.

Thank you Brett and BK for your insights and very nicely worded messages! Ya'll are a breath of positivity. Thanks for being here. I'm figuring the ins and outs of this new-to-me-website but it looks awesome!

Hello All,

New to the forum. I medically retired from the USMC in 2014 with half a pelvis, missing portions of L4 and L5 vertebrae and now i have Stage II kidney disease. Due to blood pressure issues because of the kidney disease, I can usually only obtain a medical card for 1 year at a time but I've kept my CDL since 2015. I am not yet 40 years old. It is not in my nature to idle.

Driving OTR was always a dream. I obtained my CDL in 2015 and drove for a local bulk cement company in Virginia. Because of the heavy hose work, I couldn't keep it up. Had to leave the job. Driving was ok but I never went far. Life took me in another direction and I needed to be home for my daughter. However I always had that itch. I still have that dream.

So I have a few questions and I realize there may not be any doctors on here but, I don't know any truckers though I come from a family of them. They have all passed on. I think it's in my blood. Should I give it a go or give up on the dream altogether? Anyone know any drivers out there with physical limitations and dare I say, disabilities? The guy I worked for that drove for many years OTR said he left trucking with a back injury. He thought I was crazy for trying to start with a back injury. But, if there's a will there's a way right?

Lastly for now, how far out is the industry in terms of automated trucks? What is the job outlook for drivers?

I'd value the experience and opinion of the drivers pertaining to the above. Thanks.

I freakin' loved trucking but I only did it for 30 days, nearly 10 years ago. I left the job with tears in my eyes. My immediate superior, a Navy veteran, also had tears in his eyes.