Are There Companies Out There That Are Totally No Touch Freight

FMCSA told me that a prosthesis is preffered but not required to return back to driving a rig again. As for getting in the cab that's easy for me. Now jumping in the back of a trailor is definitely a challenge. I've tried for 9 years now to wear a prosthesis but just hasn't worked out for me.

My CDLs are still valid. I just have to do a skill performance evaluation after I'm hired. I'm just really trying to make the decision to do it. Ive been going through different scenarios for days now.

Many shippers that ship foodstuff, or paper, and so on require a clean inspection. It's up to you to clean out the trailer.

If a clean trailer is important to the shipper , they often have a special dock just for cleaning & sweeping. True, occasionally you'll have to climb in from the ground, but that's not often.

You have the ability to clamber into a cab (albeit not with a constant three points of contact), couple and uncouple airlines, squat, kneel or crawl to a position to observe fifth wheel jaws locked and slide tandems , balance on one leg or crutch to crank landing gear, perform other pretrip duties including opening and closing hood, right? This is impressive, honestly. Personally, I don't want to see you get discouraged about the potential challenge of entering a trailer from the ground and have that stop you from reliving your trucking dream.

As others have said, a ladder is a solution to get you in the trailer. Again, assuming you are not in a wheelchair or hopping on one foot but use one or two crutches of some type to get around, I think a modified ladder and/or ramp could be your solution. The reefer only option solves getting in for nail removal, and washouts by others vs. sweepouts by you, but not for the potential of needing to strap loads. And as Errol pointed out, you almost always have access to the trailer from dock level.

Is it possible on the RARE circumstance, no matter who you end up driving for and what kind of freight they haul, that you need to enter the trailer you could offer a few dollars for assistance? That's assuming it would even get that far and you didn't have someone volunteer to give you a hand right off the bat. Only the most insensitive bass-turd would take your money just to install a load lock or hold a ladder steady for you. You could be the vehicle for someone to have a Boy Scout moment and to be able to go home that day and tell their family "I just met the most amazing guy today."

By your positive attitude alone I know you can figure this out if you really want to. You sound like a can do guy that might be humble enough to ask for help rather than being bitter and needing to prove to yourself or othets that you're not helpless. My dad was in a wheelchair for a lot of years because of a botched surgery and it took him a long time to undo a lifetime of rugged Independence and accept the kind offerings of family, friends and strangers, but it did happen.

Just don't hire on with a company that does a lot of snow driving! I'm having a tough time picturing you chain up lol, but then again, another opportunity for other truckers to step up their game.

Forrest, There are several dedicated accounts that come to mind that do not require a driver to climb into the trailer. Walmart and Target are the two obvious ones.

I have run Walmart Dedicated for Swift almost five years and can only recall climbing up and into a trailer three times, out of about 1500 loads. Third time was two weeks ago.

A driver accesses a trailer through the Walmart dock 99.99% of the time. Might work much better for you. Even store personnel will clean out the trailers if required by a backhaul vendor.

Search on my name and Walmart if you want more content to read.

Good luck!

I get around with crutches 95% of the time. I can do all of those things around the truck that were mentioned no problem. I'm also not against asking anyone for a little help here and there. I have seen some dedicated routes and would love to be on one. I just have to make it through the hiring process and probably a refresher course.

There is a company in Springfield MO called Double S Trucking or something like that. They are a FedEx contractor and are advertising for driveres. They say 100% no touch. They are looking for people to team. That might work for you. I know nothing about the company, there was a printout for the job at my school today. Good luck.

Forrest, There are several dedicated accounts that come to mind that do not require a driver to climb into the trailer. Walmart and Target are the two obvious ones.

I was going to say the same thing. We had a driver fall out of a Target trailer a few weeks ago and my boss reminded us all we are not supposed to go in the trailers at all, even to sweep them out, for liability reasons. Same with Walmart.

What companies pull for target and Walmart so I can check them out.

I know Swift and Schneider.

I have seen Crete at Walmart's, I have seen Prime pulling a Walmart Trailer in Kentucky. Your best bet is go to the closest Walmart or Target DC near you then see what companies come in and out pulling that particular stores trailers. I have delivered to Target, Walgreens, and Menards DCs. I have delivered to Menards and now Sams stores.