New Guy, Saying Hello!

Hey everyone!

I've been lurking around here for the better part of a year gathering general information on the industry. Up until very recently, I was unsure of any timelines so I refrained from registering until I had a better idea of the future. I was hoping I could give you guys a brief rundown of my background and my future plans and see if there is something I'm overlooking.

Long story short, I've been in the Army for the last 10 years, and am now officially being medically retired. I have about a month or so of active service left and then I'm on my way home to Arkansas!

My biggest worry in all of this is that I'm, "getting the boot" because I was diagnosed with PTSD, and I'm concerned that's going to be my biggest setback. I've talked with a few different recruiters about this and none of them can really give me a definite answer. One suggested that I talk to the DOT directly and get their opinion on the matter. After being transferred 20 times I finally ended up speaking with someone (no idea who, this was 6 months ago) who told me that the DOT has no regulations against driving with this diagnosis, and that it was going to be up to the employer. I'm not sure if anyone has any direct or indirect info on this subject, but if you do, I would love to hear it!

My plan is to go to a private school to get my CDL. I debated this for a while, and decided I didn't want to be tied down to any one company for any reason. I've been "tied down" for the last 10 years, and the freedom to do as I please is quite a trophy in my eyes. Not that I plan on job surfing by any means. The fact that my GI Bill or Voc Rehab will cover all the expenses associated with it is just icing on the cake.

After mending bleeding eyes trying to research different companies, there are two that really stand out to me. My first choice would be TMC, and second is Maverick out of Arkansas. Either way, I truly believe that flat bedding is for me. I've been guaranteed a prehire from TMC as of a few months ago, and Maverick told me I shouldn't have any issues getting one either. From an outsiders perspective, I really like what both companies have to offer. I do feel I should cut my teeth on a standard though. That might be the only thing about Maverick I'm hesitant about.

I apologize for the giant wall above, but I'm excited and terrified about this transition. Thank you for the unbiased views and encouragement here. It's a huge help in trying to weed out the crap on the internet. Time to get rolling on the training material. Stay safe.

Josh

Josh, Welcome to the forum! Hey, I just happen to know a driver with PTSD, and not only that but I helped him to get hired on at Schneider. Here's the kicker, and I'm telling you this because I met this guy at a TMC orientation where he and I both got sent home for medical reasons, whatever medications your taking might be what will cause some companies to balk at it. It's not the diagnosis itself, but rather the medication that will give you a problem. Can you get back on here and tell us what meds, if any, you have been precribed for this PTSD? This is a fairly easy hurdle to get over, but you want to go ahead and start dealing with it ahead of time. You may need to get a doctor to change your prescription to something more acceptable for your D.O.T. physical.

Josh, Welcome to the forum! Hey, I just happen to know a driver with PTSD, and not only that but I helped him to get hired on at Schneider. Here's the kicker, and I'm telling you this because I met this guy at a TMC orientation where he and I both got sent home for medical reasons, whatever medications your taking might be what will cause some companies to balk at it. It's not the diagnosis itself, but rather the medication that will give you a problem. Can you get back on here and tell us what meds, if any, you have been precribed for this PTSD? This is a fairly easy hurdle to get over, but you want to go ahead and start dealing with it ahead of time. You may need to get a doctor to change your prescription to something more acceptable for your D.O.T. physical.

I completely forgot to mention the meds. On paper I take 40mg/day Celexa, and 10mg Ambien as needed for sleep. I stopped taking the Celexa months ago because it was only successful at making me sick. I've filled my last script for it, so I'm hoping that doesn't even play a part in any of it. The Ambien is another monster in and of itself. I have god awful sleeping issues that Ambien helps keep under control so I can actually get quality sleep. I'm not sure exactly what it's called, but my prescribing doctor said he would sign some type "letter of consent" saying that I am fully capable of performing the required duties while taking these medications. Outside of that I'm clueless and like I mentioned in the OP, the recruiters don't seem to know how to answer these questions beyond the, "Lets just see what our doc says" kind of reply.

I very much appreciate the info Old School! If I missed something let me know. Stay safe.

Josh

Okay, well wouldn't you know it I'm not familiar with Celexa, but it sounds like you aren't taking it now anyway. What happens with that D.O.T. physical is that there is a form you'll have to fill out showing which prescriptions you're taking. So, if you aren't taking that particular one anymore then don't even put it on the form.

I recommend that you contact a local physician that does D.O.T. physicals and ask them about the Ambien. There are certain medications that are dis-qualifiers as per D.O.T., and you certainly don't want any of those on your list. Then there are certain ones that different company docs don't like to see, so having a letter ahead of time from your physician is a great idea.

Here's the deal though, let's just assume the worst case scenario here and say you go to TMC and their doc says no. Just simply ask the doc "could you recommend to me a substitute medication that I could try and get my physician to prescribe to me that would be acceptable for employment here?" Then go with what they suggest.

TMC is a first class operation, and they will bring you back for a second chance if you get it changed as per the docs suggestion. If at all possible you might try and see if they could give you a number for the doctor so you could call and work on this in advance. I don't know if they will or not, but it's worth a try.

Josh, the ambien will be a nono, since I'm sure it has the "this may cause drowsiness" type warning stickers on it. ANY meds that have that can't be taken by a driver. I also have PTSD ( we called it cubicle fever, to much of a dept. of Justice career).And I also take meds to sleep. But when I"m driving truck, I have NO problems sleeping. I LOVE to sleep when the truck is rolling..the vibration is better than a massage, and the engine rumblin' just lulls me to sleep. There are some really good OTC sleep aids that oyu can take. But driving truck isn't a 9-5 job, and you will have to catch your 10 hours sleep at different times sometimes. Thus, oyu can't take any meds that will leave you fuzzy headed, drowsy, or in any way slows your reactive abilities. So you might as well talk with your doctor now, cuz I know for a fact that you won't slide thru with Ambien. Better to know now, than get the boot later. Don't let it throw you.....theres alternatives...and when you get to driving, you WILL get tired...so you may find out that you don't need them at all !!!

Here's the deal though, let's just assume the worst case scenario here and say you go to TMC and their doc says no. Just simply ask the doc "could you recommend to me a substitute medication that I could try and get my physician to prescribe to me that would be acceptable for employment here?" Then go with what they suggest.

That is great information. As simple as it sounds I really hadn't considered that option in the event I was faced with that situation. As it stands right now, my idea is to just quit taking both scripts (already quit the celexa) and avoid that possible let down from the start. Thank you for that though, as one can never quite know what the future has in store.

Josh, the ambien will be a nono, since I'm sure it has the "this may cause drowsiness" type warning stickers on it. ANY meds that have that can't be taken by a driver. I also have PTSD ( we called it cubicle fever, to much of a dept. of Justice career).And I also take meds to sleep. But when I"m driving truck, I have NO problems sleeping. I LOVE to sleep when the truck is rolling..the vibration is better than a massage, and the engine rumblin' just lulls me to sleep. There are some really good OTC sleep aids that oyu can take. But driving truck isn't a 9-5 job, and you will have to catch your 10 hours sleep at different times sometimes. Thus, oyu can't take any meds that will leave you fuzzy headed, drowsy, or in any way slows your reactive abilities. So you might as well talk with your doctor now, cuz I know for a fact that you won't slide thru with Ambien. Better to know now, than get the boot later. Don't let it throw you.....theres alternatives...and when you get to driving, you WILL get tired...so you may find out that you don't need them at all !!!

I figured with ambien being a controlled sleep aid that I wouldn't get by with taking it. On top of that, without a defined schedule (like you mentioned), I wouldn't feel safe at all being on the road. I would definitely end up as a liability, and that just isn't an option. Funny thing is, if I have the option to stay up until I'm beat to death and THEN lay down, 99% of the time I'll be out cold in minutes. That's another thing that's so appealing to me about this career. Thank you for confirming my suspicions Starcar, Your input is greatly appreciated! Stay safe.

Josh

I have several friends who drive OTR that have PTSD. I have been diagnosed with PTSD, and like you, I cant take Celexa. It might as well be chemo as much as it made me puke. They and I take Unisom to help sleep. Has absolutely NO SIDE EFFECTS. Well, at least that I noticed. My friends said that this is acceptable by D.O.T. and most companies. Id check into it and see if its acceptable by TMC or Maverick.

I have several friends who drive OTR that have PTSD. I have been diagnosed with PTSD, and like you, I cant take Celexa. It might as well be chemo as much as it made me puke. They and I take Unisom to help sleep. Has absolutely NO SIDE EFFECTS. Well, at least that I noticed. My friends said that this is acceptable by D.O.T. and most companies. Id check into it and see if its acceptable by TMC or Maverick.

I'll inquire about that and see what my doc and potential employers have to say about it. If I don't get the side effects of ambien, and it helps with sleep that is a definite win/win. Thanks for letting me know about that.

Josh,

First of all, thank you very much for your service. I hope that your transition back to civilian life is a smooth one.

Although I cannot speak intelligently about the medications that you listed, I just wanted to offer you a suggestion that may work for your sleep issues. Up until being laid off last month, I worked as a long haul international freight pilot. My normal rotation consisted of completely circling the globe every six days anywhere from 2 to as many as 5 times in a row. As Star car suggested, the hours alone and the resultant fatigue was usually enough to allow me to sleep well whenever I had the chance. Occasionally, though, I would experience severe jet lag which wouldn't allow me to sleep when I "needed" to be sleeping. As a result, I started using a natural suntheanine/melatonin sleep aid that really worked wonders in putting me to sleep. I found it at Whole Foods, and I'm sure there are other places to purchase it as well. Maybe you could buy some and give it a try in place of the Ambien before you go to school and see if it does the trick.

Anyway, best of luck and I hope everything works out for you!

Freightdog,

Thank you for the support. This transition is the most terrifying thing I've ever had to experience. Having a wife and kids to support with no guarantee for the future is nerve wracking.

I literally cannot imagine having to fly a plane that much. At least when you're driving the scenery changes, but in a plane, well... I imagine clouds get old after awhile!

Thank you for the tip with the sleep aid. Any suggestion to kick the ambien is most welcome. I really think I'll be naturally tired enough most of the time to sleep on my own. That being said, I'm not the type to go without a backup plan if I have the option. Sometimes, however, as soon as my head hits the pillow I'm wide awake and it's almost as if my brain refuses to "turn off". Thanks again!

Josh