Profile For Jeff J.

Sorry to interject a comment on this from a newly licensed CDL driver but I was trying to relate to the responses. For 15 year's I've worked in EMS. When I first started in this field I was so excited to have the lights and sirens on and to be able to exceed the speed limit. Granted it was to help people in need but over the course of my career I found out that speed can kill. I saw it frequently. So I spent 2 months going over calls where someone drove to a distant hospital with lights and sirens vs. those that drove within normal speed limits. The ones that drove with lights and sirens saved on average 2 minutes vs those without the lights and sirens. Everyone thought that there was going to be a greater gap in time saved but when analyzing the results it was determined that due to the increased speed and extra caution that had to come into play while going through the stop lights very little was gained. This doesn't include the increased risk in safety of those driving with the lights and sirens. We decided to limit the amount of uses for the lights and sirens of which included the increase in authorized speed limit of an additional 10 miles per hour.

I can understand that someone would be excited to have the additional speed to pass or whatever reason they have but remember that as speed goes up so do the risk to you and others. As to the money side of the issue for me the idea of making more money sounds nice but I'm coming from a different background then some, remember. Don't take this the wrong way, no amount of money is worth risking my life or those around me. Please don't take this wrong. I'm just giving my point of view and after seeing so many deaths for stupid reasons I focus on safety.

Dropping a trailer is one of the many concerns that float around in my head. We only coupled once in CDL school. I'm glad that this topic was brought up so hopefully it'll remind me when I have to do it in the future.

Congrats! Good luck getting a job. I wish I knew of places that hire out of CA but I don't. Keep posting because I like learning from others experiences Since I'm so new and everything.

Thanks for the encouragements. It's greatly appreciated. I enjoyed the class and of course the driving portion. Currently I'm waiting on a trainer. It's been a week tomorrow. Is it normal to wait a week or two? I will try to become an active member of the community but during the training period, I'm not sure how much time I'll have. I really enjoy reading about others experiences.

Sorry I never did reply to you Rainy. Thank you for your advise. I found it very helpful but to be perfectly honest, I didn't heed your advise about waiting. I'm a stubborn guy and I don't like to be told that I can't do something. (not by your by the way, the trucking companies)I was able to find a school who found a company to sponsor me. I was able to do the training and passed on the first try at the DMV. I was so happy so that I could really start a new career. My wife is very supportive of me and the physician and therapist believe this is a move in the right direction.

I was concerned with the medicine that I have to take and was honest with the trucking company. I didn't want to risk messing it up by lying or forgetting something. Their only concern was whether I was cleared by my doctors and if my condition was under control. So I had to get the Doctors to fill out forms and write letters stating as such. It took about 3 weeks to get everything cleared. As for the DOT physical, I have a 1 year physical and will have to continue to do the 1 year at least as long as I'm on the medicine.

While I was going through the training, I was concerned initially about the stress but I meshed well with my classmates and it all worked out. Unfortunately, on our test day and after I had taken my skills portion, one of the students misjudged a turn and ran the trailer into the back of a flat bed at the DMV. Thankfully no one was hurt and believe it or not there was no damage to either trailer. The driver was so upset he passed out. Me being a Paramedic I was there to make sure he was ok. I sat with him and talked about a time I tore the wings down on an airplane after tying the aircraft down. It was an expensive mistake. So it made him feel better knowing that there were worse things that could happen and that he would get through this.

I'm hired by US Xpress and currently waiting on a trainer. I hope everyone is having a good weekend and Merry Christmas to all.

Hello All,

My name is Jeff. I've been unemployed for the past 2 years. It all started in 2016 when I started showing severe signs of PTSD. I had been a Paramedic for the previous 13 years and had worked in EMS for 15 years total. I saw many things that most people don't see. During the time as a Paramedic, I was able to acquire knowledge and gain experience to a point where I became a Captain for our department. Anyways, when I started to show signs of severe PTSD I sought help but being the stubborn male that I am I waited too long. It was to the point that I was unable to work any longer. For the past 2 years, I have been getting counseling and working to overcome this issue. I am now at a point that I can work but I have been denied at 3 places so far due to lack of recent employment. I don't have a CDL and need to be trained. I've only had 1 speeding ticket at 17 years old. I'm a veteran of the U.S. Army with an Honorable discharge. Is there anything that I can do to increase my chances of being hired? Any advice would be appreciated.