Profile For Bobby M.

And Bobbie...keep in mind that Swift isn't the only game in town....theres LOTS of trucking companies out there. You don't have to go begging, but now you know what you will need upfront. If a specialist did the surgery on you, then thats the Doctor that you want the letter from. A specialist always trumps a GP, when it comes to medical issues. So get a letter of clearance from the "big Guy". That will help a whole lot. AND the fact that you have never had any seizures is also a plus. Numbness is something that has a "onset", so you would feel it coming on, anyway. Good Luck...and keep on keepin' on...theres a place for you out there, behind the wheel...

Hello Starcar. Thank you for the comments and very well put I might add. Yeah, I'm not going to wait around for Swift. I'm going to get my medical card (or try anyway) from my local doctor and have a letter from my neurosurgeon available. Crossing my fingers! ;) Thanks.

Hello Bobby, you can check out this website to get more info. FMCSA Rules & Regulations. I searched this site thoroughly to see if my medical condition would disqualify me. I didn't see anything about brain tumors disqualifying anyone unless it would cause epilepsy episodes. I'm not sure of your whole health background but I saw that you could get exemptions by filing a waiver on certain issues but you have to certify every 3 months instead of every 2 years. I hours this helps.

Thank you very much Shep. I have a feeling it might be Swift's rules and regulations, but I'm sure I can get a waiver as I haven't had, nor shown any signs of any epileptic episodes. I also think the problem is where the tumor was located, which was at the base of my brain stem, and that 20% still remains and has the potential to cause numbness, spasms, etc. All MRI's are showing positive results though, so I plan on checking into it this week (hoping the doctor at Swift has reviewed my records) and will update this post when I find out. Thanks again Shep. And thanks to everyone.

Yup...I've never heard of a disqualification due to a condition of that type that was favorably treated by a doctor. Unless, of course, part of the condition resulted in seizures. So I would have to ask what law they are quoting.....because I think they are quoting their own insurance company. The insurance companies run the trucking world. They operate behind the scenes, so that no one really thinks that they have much of an impact. But any condition that might impact the insurance company will end up being a dis qualifier, and the company will tell you theres some ambiguous law that backs them up. So were I you, I would do 2 things....I would speak with my doctor, who knows your complete medical history, an ask him if, in his opinion you are capable to drive truck. Then you need to find out what law (if any) would prohibit you from driving truck, due to your past medical condition. Never, never take the word of a recruiter. research things yourself. The outcome may surprise you. Good Luck, and come back and tell us what you find out....

This is the Swift doctor telling me all this and not my recruiter. I know all about used car sales me.... uh recruiters. ;) Great advice, Thanks.. much appreciated.

Bobby,

I would also research what the doctors told you. They might be right, but there might be limitations, such as x number of years since treatment, before you could apply. I don't know the law, myself, but I have found out that, in some cases, neither does the doctors or DOT.

Dave

Thanks Dave.

The rules are pretty complex and they vary a lot from state to state. Your best bet would be to find out from the state exactly what they require. It's not just the weight or size of the vehicle that determines if you need a CDL. It can also depend upon what you're hauling, whether or not you're for hire, and other factors.

Oh, I should mention that there are farm jobs that don't require a CDL - but not many. There are exceptions for special circumstances where you don't need a CDL.

If you want a driving job that doesn't require a CDL, I would say FedEx, UPS, or the Post Office might be good places to look. But it's nearly impossible to turn a profit with a pickup truck and trailer. You don't want to get into owning and operating trucks to haul freight. There's very little profit in it, if any. Heck, in today's economy if you could average a profit of $500/week you'd have every last pickup truck and trailer flooding the streets begging for freight.

Thanks Brett, much appreciated.

Even owning your own vehicle like a pickup truck and trailer to haul things with would still require a CDL.

Thanks Brett, I was under the impression you didn't have to have a CDL to drive something like a Dodge 2500/3500 truck w/ lets say a goose neck flatbed trailer to haul anything as long as the weight of the load was less then 26,000 pounds.

I have kept very good records of my weight, blood pressure, blood glucose, mood, sickness/illness, food intake/diet and even sleep patterns and have done phone appointments or conversations with my doctors to discuss my health, using these logs I keep, and in order to get prescription refills, etc. Could this be an option? There is also urgent care, walk in care, (or similar), in case you have immediate medical issues like a cold or the like, which I've used before. They just wrote out a prescription and forwarded the records to my primary doctor.

Hello All, My name is Bobby. Last year, while in training with Swift, I had to abruptly put my driving career on hold because of a Meningioma Brain Tumor. 80% of the tumor was removed and tumor was non-cancerous. After radiation therapy, which killed the remaining 20% and a year of recovery and with everything generally back to normal, I decided to try and get back into driving. I got re-hired with Swift early this month and while going through my medical physical, I was told that having a brain tumor automatically disqualifies me from obtaining a Medical Card, thus no CDL. I understand the reasons and concerns behind this issue, which I think the doc. said was law, BUT I don't understand why it would ultimately keep me from driving commercially. Couldn't the company keep me under review or something like that? I have MRI's every 6 months and currently showing no growth and I'm under medical review/watch for my brain more often then 90% of the drivers out there (my own est. :-) and of course I don't mean any disrespect, just being sarcastic). As of today I haven't heard any news to the approval or disapproval of my medical physical, but I'm curious if anyone one else has either been through or heard of this situation and if there are options for me if I were to be disqualified from driving with CDL? My concerns are:

1. Could I earn a living or make money driving without a CDL, say transporting material under 26,000 lbs. 2. Where would I go to start or find loads under 26,000 lbs? 3. Could I work for myself without a CDL and earn a decient living - at least enough to drive the country? 4. Do brokers provide non CDL loads or loads under 26,000 lbs? 5. Where do I go to get started in transporting without a CDL.

Thanks, and looking forward to hearing any and all opinions or comments.