I've Been Diagnosed As Schizoaffective Bipolar 1 And Have Wanted To Be A Truck Driver My Whole Life How Can I Overcome This

I've been wanting to be a truck driver my whole life ever since I was a little girl and 42 years old and 8 years ago I was diagnosed as being schizoaffective I've heard this can cause me to not be able to get my CDL I'm really confused and I've done a lot of research but I can't seem to find anyone that's willing to help or a company that will even talk to me. I've had my doctor switched me to DOT approved medications so that I could pass my my physical. I have also requested form my psychiatrist a letter stating that I'm able to to work and that I am capable of driving any vehicle and so much more, and that my condition is controlled and well managed. My hiccup that I have is that when I get stressed I tend to obsess about the little details and I tend to clean a lot which I don't think it would be a bad thing but I don't know. I currently am a delivery driver in my own personal vehicles hauling a 25 foot vehicle trailer. I've been doing that for ten years and been maintaining very well. I belive I handle stress on the road very well. I have a clean driving record I've never had one negative mark on my driving record since I've been driving since I was 14. I'm pretty sure that I would be able to handle a big rig, I understand it's a lot more complicated and there's a lot more to understand about it all. I'm still kind of lost as to were to start. Is there any advice you guys can give me to help me further pursue my career to being a truck driver. Please feel free to ask me any questions that you feel that you need to know to help better give me the best advice that you can. Thanks in adavance. April J.

Welcome, April!

I don't know if you'll get any solid answers from companies until you apply to work there. Their recruiters don't like to invest time speaking to people who are asking questions but not showing any level of commitment. They get paid when they bring drivers to the company. They don't get paid to sit around discussing possibilities.

So you might want to apply to some companies and speak with their recruiters.

Have you spoken with any companies yet?

So do you have a valid DOT physical card? That seems to me to be the first hurdle. If you answered the questions truthfully and your documentation satisfied the Medical Examiner I don’t see an issue.

Welcome, April!

I don't know if you'll get any solid answers from companies until you apply to work there. Their recruiters don't like to invest time speaking to people who are asking questions but not showing any level of commitment. They get paid when they bring drivers to the company. They don't get paid to sit around discussing possibilities.

So you might want to apply to some companies and speak with their recruiters.

Have you spoken with any companies yet?

Thank You Brett, Yes I have tried to apply to Swift and Knight Transport. But I keep getting shut down by the recruiters. I am serious about becoming a Truck driver but don't even know where to start. I was thinking about going through a trucking school but I'm afraid it might be a waste of time because they don't guarantee that any company will hire you. To Greg, Yes I have just received my DOT physical card, it took almost 3 mo to get it with all the hoops I had to jump through but I did it and it was worth it to me. My patience and determination paid off. Now I don't know how to make any of the companies I'm applying to see that I'm serious about becoming a Truck driver. The last recruiter I spoke with laughed at me and said I'm too old and too messed up in the head to be a driver. So now I'm not sure about anything. I mean am I too old to be thinking about starting a driving carrier? I always thought that as long as you loved what you wanted to do then you could accomplish anything. But after being told this by the company recruiter I'm starting to have second thoughts if this is going to be right for me? Maybe I'm overthinking this and should keep trying different companies until I find the right one for me.

Welcome, April!

I don't know if you'll get any solid answers from companies until you apply to work there. Their recruiters don't like to invest time speaking to people who are asking questions but not showing any level of commitment. They get paid when they bring drivers to the company. They don't get paid to sit around discussing possibilities.

So you might want to apply to some companies and speak with their recruiters.

Have you spoken with any companies yet?

Howdy, April !

Welcome to Trucking Truth :)

Have you looked into this?

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

Did you apply HERE? Apply For Paid CDL Training!

You should look at some of our own, mod/trainers videos! Truckin' Along w/Kearsey!

Not clear on if you got a DOT physical, with a 2 year, 1 year, or less....card , that info is pertinent, too!

HOPE our group helps, m'lady! Best;

~ Anne & Tom ~

Welcome, April!

I don't know if you'll get any solid answers from companies until you apply to work there. Their recruiters don't like to invest time speaking to people who are asking questions but not showing any level of commitment. They get paid when they bring drivers to the company. They don't get paid to sit around discussing possibilities.

So you might want to apply to some companies and speak with their recruiters.

Have you spoken with any companies yet?

So do you have a valid DOT physical card? That seems to me to be the first hurdle. If you answered the questions truthfully and your documentation satisfied the Medical Examiner I don’t see an issue.

April wrote:

The last recruiter I spoke with laughed at me and said I'm too old and too messed up in the head to be a driver.

First of all 42 is not too old. I started in my early 50s… 9 years ago. Many of the experienced drivers in this forum started when they were middle aged.

Second of all no recruiter is going to say something like that or mock you.

Sorry, but I don’t believe that’s what happened with any recruiter you spoke with.

April, the average age of drivers nationwide is like 49 years old. So claiming that a recruiter would say you're too old when you're well below the average age is not true.

They would also never say someone is too messed up in the head.

I don't appreciate you lying to us like that.

Good luck to you.

There was another full moon a couple days ago. Some of the posts this week prove it.

There was another full moon a couple days ago. Some of the posts this week prove it.

I agree!

Twilight Zone