I've Just Received An Unsolicited Email Message From A CDL Recruiter.

Bob, you don't know me to judge me fairly, sir. If you got to know me you might not think me a bad person.

Todd, unfortunately we know you very well. You have revealed yourself repeatedly. Nobody's judging you by anything other than the evidence you're giving.

Also, it doesn't matter if you send a trucking company an email, a phone call, or a pony Express overnight delivery. If you ask them about hiring requirements your inquiry is going straight to a recruiter. What were you expecting? They don't employ some sweet little old lady to answer every bozo's question that happens to come to them - that is the work for the recruiters. They don't deal with the general public through some customer service department.

Well, I might not be the most competent Trucking Truth poster in the world, Old School, but I am not a bad person. I never once claimed to be perfect. If this man is a recruiter for a company, I want a straight honest answer about hiring somebody whose has just been on disability for several years and not dance around the issue like a car salesman. He gave me all that other fluff but never once answered my simple question. If this man were more professional, he would have stated in his message to me that he was responding to me on behalf of the inquiry I have made using Jim Palmer contact information that I retrieved from Jim Pamer's own site.

If I were a hiring personnel for a trucking company, I would want an application submitted and preapproved for CDL training before a ticket for the Dog is even issued to a potential recruit. If I were the owner of a company, I wouldn't even want to pay for a bus ticket unless I had determined the candidate met all my hiring criteria (eg. no convictions for violent or drug-related crimes, not a registered sex offender, no DUI , no license suspension etc.) in the first place.

If there were an alleged disability-related employment gap, I would at least want verification of recent disability history and something in writing from a doctor saying something to the effect of "cleared to return to work". I'm not going to require off the bat that somebody get off even verifiable disability, go hold a Walmart greeting sign, push a broom, scrub toilets, pour Starbucks coffee, shine shoes, drive taxis, mow lawns or flip burgers for a year or more then come back and see me about a possible driving career.

It comes off to me as a very condescending "sir". And as stated above and with a simple Google search one would learn that Wilson owns Jim Palmer you emailed Jim Palmer, I fail to see the grand conspiracy here.

If I were a hiring personnel for a trucking company.......

If I were the owner of a company

Todd, you don't even have a job and you haven't had a job in almost 15 years. You've also never been in charge of hiring or owned a company. So why are you expecting people who actually hold these positions to do things the way you expect them to be done? The truth is you have no Earthly idea how these jobs are done so you shouldn't even have an opinion on it.

What you should do for starters is stop judging everyone. You should have one thought on your mind - what do I need to know and what do I need to do to land a job in this industry? That's it. Your opinions and expectations are based on absolutely no experience or expertise, so why do you think they are so valuable?

If I were a hiring personnel for a trucking company.......

If I were the owner of a company

Todd, you don't even have a job and you haven't had a job in almost 15 years. You've also never been in charge of hiring or owned a company. So why are you expecting people who actually hold these positions to do things the way you expect them to be done? The truth is you have no Earthly idea how these jobs are done so you shouldn't even have an opinion on it.

What you should do for starters is stop judging everyone. You should have one thought on your mind - what do I need to know and what do I need to do to land a job in this industry? That's it. Your opinions and expectations are based on absolutely no experience or expertise, so why do you think they are so valuable?

Brett, what I do need to know is how to properly communicate with people in this business without hurting anybody's feelings or giving a bad impression of myself to others.

Ok, I have made diplomacy mistakes here but I don't want these to carry over to a job interview.

How should one approach prospective trucking companies/recruiters with questions or concerns whether by US mail, email, text or telephone?

I think asking about hiring policy is not trivial at all. Other people posting on this site have indicated to me that an employment gap could be a serious issue or barrier. The hirers either will hold my employment gap against me or they won't, all other things the same. I'm certainly not a convicted felon. Regardless of the length of my employment gap, I do have US Department of VA documentation to cover each and every minute of it and my VA doctor would gladly sign a release back to work if he felt that I really was able to go back to work and that's going to be mostly based upon what I tell him as to how I feel. I know my own body. I know whether it has the stamina to take on any job full time including being a Walmart door greeter full time. Those poor people have to stand all shift long on their feet and drivers are seated most of the time while on duty. If I can sleep a solid eight hours and stay up without taking a nap or lying down on my bed once at any time for the other sixteen hours, and do this consistently for at least a month, I will feel 100% ready to get back to work.

Why can't I get one simple answer for one simple question from a company?

Well, I'll wait and see if Mr. Jones responds to my message.

Yes or no.

PS - Brett, if you do believe I have a 15 year employment gap even with documented disability for that whole duration, should I just forever forget truck driving based solely on that fact alone?

Based off your post history I highly doubt any company would cold email you trying to recruit you. Your history here indicates a student would be nothing but trouble from before even making it to their school.

Bob, you don't know me to judge me fairly, sir. If you got to know me you might not think me a bad person.

Kinda like how you have pre-judged janitors, buereaucrats and minimum wage workers?

Waffled when asked direct questions?

And taking us down the Rabbit Hole more than once only to surface with confirmation that you “knew it” all along.

Get real Todd (for just once). If you don’t want to be perceived as a pain-in-the-ass, stop conducting yourself like one.

And for the record, I think you would be very difficult as a student because based on every one of your posts, you lack a basic, but necessary set of personality traits to be successful:

Ability to follow instructions

Strong work ethic

Single-minded focus

Humility/Coachability

Positive attitude

And that’s just a few...

You have repeatedly and chronically demonstrated the opposite in your interaction on this forum. Conduct yourself in school, during orientation...and if by some stroke of luck “road training”, your failure is imminent.

G-Town, I was a straight-A student through college. Yes, I've only achieved a humble associates degree, computer information science, though. I now think pursuing a higher degree or a ton of certifications at my age, 55 this April, a waste of time. The IT industry is full of young people anyway. They don't want to hire some gray old fart like me. That computer geek technology stuff is too brain-racking at my age anyway and now I find computers boring to death.

Please cite a sample where I may have failed to follow instructions?

I know some people here think I'm a lazy bum but I can't help that. You've never been inside my body to feel how badly it is suffering and even my "doctor" (a VA government pill-pushing idiot who likely failed to make it in private practice where there's much better money in medicine) thinks CFS is a joke. People will believe what they want to believe. I only have to somehow convince any future employer (if there ever is one, I might get killed by a meteor tomorrow morning) of that I am otherwise not a lazy bum.

Now, I have to go do some more rehabilitative exercise.

I seriously doubt the intentions are sincere here...this is Todd trying to legitimize his level of commitment and plan an exit strategy... He is a master at playing the system...

This will be what he’ll post...

“Look I tried, they didn’t do it my way so therefore I have no interest in proceeding...” Never to be heard from again.

Something like that. Are you the real deal Todd? You’ve been repeatedly called-out as a troll, yet not once have you offered a direct response to that. And you want to judge a trucking company recruiter?

Todd if you “actually are” the real deal and not some misguided troll, Brett already outlined in detail what you need to-do first.

Like so many other pieces of advice; you ignored him and wrote to Jim Palmer. Why? Because you do not follow instructions. Do you have a clue how follish you appear to us? JP and WT get thousands of inquiries like yours every year. All companies do, most never go beyond GO. They are usually replied to with a form letter, a stock response like the one you got. I’d be totally shocked if your reply is answered directly. Your reply letter will look like a setup to them... and they will provide you with a very benign and vague answer necessary to avoid a frivolous lawsuit. At age 54 how could you possibly be so naive and/or expect us to buy-into the story?

The only way to get their serious attention (or any company for that matter) is to fill-out an on-line application. And that you won’t do because you already know what the outcome will be...they will reject you and if they offer a reason it might be something like this...

“Get yourself off disability, off the meds, and go get a job. Once you can prove your off disability and can hold down a “real” job for a year, please reapply”.

Basically what Brett suggested, just more blunt.

“Grow up” Todd. You are child in a man suit.

You know how you get an answer? You apply for the job and on the application YOU BE TRUTHFUL. Nobody is going to spend the money on sending you to orientation just to send you home. The people who get sent home most likely lied on application, failed physical or failed a drug test. These companies extend an offer to come in to orientation based on the information you put in the application and they will verify that when you're there. If JP, Wil-trans , or Prime is your first choice just know they're more selective than other carriers.

Again, fill out the dang application and you'll know where you stand and what you need to do to be hireable for them in the future.

Wil-Trans:

Darrel Wilson bought his first tractor in 1980 at age 20, but, being too young to meet OTR age requirements, he leased the truck out and hired a driver.

Through growth and acquisition, Wil-Trans now employs over 200 drivers, and has a long-standing partnership with Prime, Inc. to haul their refrigerated freight. The family of businesses also includes Jim Palmer Trucking and O & S Trucking.

even my "doctor" (a VA government pill-pushing idiot who likely failed to make it in private practice where there's much better money in medicine)

And the insults continue.......

Todd, this says it all...

I know some people here think I'm a lazy bum but I can't help that. You've never been inside my body to feel how badly it is suffering and even my "doctor" (a VA government pill-pushing idiot who likely failed to make it in private practice where there's much better money in medicine) thinks CFS is a joke.

OMG...we can now add VA Doctors to your growing list of undignified vocations. You are such a jackass.

Todd if the above description of your condition is entirely accurate, how then can you even consider driving an 80,000lb CMV? I’ll give you the answer, YOU CAN’T.

Like they say on Shark Tank, I’m out.

Good luck Todd. Get your sh** together.

Peace.

doctor would gladly sign a release back to work if he felt that I really was able to go back to work

GREAT! But "work" does not mean "trucking". This is a physically and mentally demanding career. You have no ability to process information. You go from topic to topic and never truly understand, compute, and comprehend any of it. Because of this, trucking will be very difficult for you.

and that's going to be mostly based upon what I tell him as to how I feel.

Sounds really scientific and reliable. So the medical professional is not making the determination, you are.

I know my own body. I know whether it has the stamina to take on any job full time

Trucking is completely different from any full time job . It is more like 2 full time jobs. The constant alertness required is very difficult for new drivers. It is so.much more than just driving. It is life and death situations daily. There is little to no sleep pattern. It has the "hurry up and wait" of the military, but unlike in the military, there is not someone giving you orders. You call the shots. Driving through and being exposed to extreme elements such as -40 degree temps or 120 degree in the desert is exhausting. Does that sound like a great job for someone with chronic fatigue?

If I can sleep a solid eight hours and stay up without taking a nap or lying down on my bed once at any time for the other sixteen hours, and do this consistently for at least a month, I will feel 100% ready to get back to work.

You have had years to do this and havent. Why?

What if your plan works? Then what? cause you wont get that time OTR. Sleep is not consistent. I just laughed at "sleep for 8 hours straight". You were shocked to.realize we only break 10 hours a day. That means you drive from midnight to 10am, then get a break and head back out at 8pm. then break and head back out at 6am. then break and head back out at 4pm. looks like a normal job huh?

Heres an example.... I drove 300 miles into the terminal at 0100 to get a loaded trailer repaired. The load was supposed to be a drop and hook but the customer said it was a libe load which screwed up my trip planning/time management. I planned on getting 8 in the sleeper to extend my 14 clock and make an 0700 then 1200 delivery. The trailer could not get into the shop until 0600. I told dispatch to take the load from me or make the appointments after my 10 hour break.

I decided to use the opportunity to have my PM done. By 0300 I rolled out of the shop and parked to sleep. Then dispatched messaged several times asking about the trailer and my ETA. Turned out the customer would close just after my hours would come back, so they wanted me to rush there after break. Im not sure what time i fell asleep. At 0900, I woke to a message "whats the update on the trailer?" I dont freakin know cause i was sleeping. There is no.way i slept more than 5 hours and was expected to go drive. I then start the truck and it wont shift into gear. I try letting it warm up more and shift it does.

I hook back to.my trailer and try to shift.and nothing. So then i needed a mechanic to play around with cabkes and air tanks so i couod move from the trailer and get towed 50 miles away to the dealer. Here it is 1600 and i slept 5 hours since 0600 yesterday morning. This dealership closes at 2100 so hopefully i will find out before closing whether my truck will be fixed. Im really tired now.

This is trucking. It rarely goes smoothly. It rarely has consistency. Some days i can sleep 18 hours, others i sleep 4 hours.

G Town, give me an example of when I didnt follow.directions?

When you were told how to drive a forklift while you were "rusty" and how you didnt listen to the guy who told you how to stack the boxes.