Should I get my CDL back?

[Ozwynn]

I retired for trucking June 2015 because I had cancer and I was having problems controlling my diabetes. I surrendered my CDL when I had my heart attack nov 2015.

Today (actually yesterday) I had 2 doctors appointments, one was with my Endocrine and I just had my 3rd consecutive A1C under 8 without insulin and then I had a stress test which I passed.

Now there is no apparent brain damage from having had brain cancer but I have permanent COPD from lung cancer. I am also still diabetic and genetically pre disposed to high cholesterol.

Because I got my CDL in 1997 and surrendered it more than 1 year ago (because I couldn’t pass the physical and I was smoking CBD oil for cancer) I have to have 160 hours of CDL training in an approved program due to a law passed in 2010 in an effort to curb CDL mills. My 2.3 million miles of experience doesnt mean anything apparently. Now I work at FedEx freight and I can move into the driver apprentice program but it takes either 6 months or a year to complete or pay $5000 to go back to truck driving school (which I don’t have).

Currently I make $19/hr at FedEx Freight but only work 5 hours a day. Diver apprentice would bump me to $21/h and be full time then after I complete the program I will be a full time driver at $24/h

Or I could take the money I do have and get an AAS in mechatronixs from the local community college.

I’m kinda leaning towards getting my CDL back and working for a few years to pay everything off and going back into retirement

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Speaking as a current driver...

No.

Luckly we are exempt from ELDs (for now, we haul raw milk), but youll live in the truck for less money, and the BS gets deeper every year.

I would learn a 9-5 trade and never look back dude.

 

[Ozwynn]

ELB is a fact of life out here and FedEx Freight would be a 10 hour a day job either doing local P&D or pulling doubles to Portland and back or a combination of both and also operating the switcher (yard goat)

 

[rusty ol ranger]

ELB is a fact of life out here and FedEx Freight would be a 10 hour a day job either doing local P&D or pulling doubles to Portland and back or a combination of both and also operating the switcher (yard goat)

That doesnt sound horrible then. Im not OTR, but if/when we end up with ELDs i might be looking for othrr options. We run legal and im home everynight, but sometimes that extra hour is the difference between home and pilot.

But all i can say is you know yourself better then anyone, and i know theres guys running around in alot worse shape then what you described. Hell, they only renewed me for a yr because of sugar, ive dropped 20-25 lbs since then though, and i show no symptoms, i think she was full of shit

 

[Ozwynn]

If you start and stop from the same location everyday, one time in a 7 day period you can go by a couple hours due to unexpected issues. Jim was state police, you might want to verify that with him...... or it might just be a Washington thing

 

[rusty ol ranger]

If you start and stop from the same location everyday, one time in a 7 day period you can go by a couple hours due to unexpected issues. Jim was state police, you might want to verify that with him...... or it might just be a Washington thing

Yeah thats federal.