Question:
Recently read that a driver wasn't hired because of his weight and another driver who was concerned that his personal property in the truck might weight too much and affect the amount of cargo/load in the trailer.
Do companies have guidelines on how much a driver should have in the truck so as not to affect cargo or is this something that is so obvious I am missing it? Is each load scaled to be as close to the legal limit, which makes sense?
Personally, I don't see a need for much beyond basics, but others have different needs.
Whistlepunk

Answer:
The driver with the weight problem was probably a heart attack waiting to happen.
As for the personal property, unless the driver has a cinder block collection he cant stand to be apart from, methinks this is another cb myth.
"We have met the enemy, and he is us." pogo

Answer:
'breaker breaker 1-9 my brother in lawsd best friends uncle just got fired cause he had more than 5 pounds of cargo in the sleeper'
...there's nothing in this world worth a solitary dime, except old dogs and children, and watermelon wine..

Answer:
Originally posted by bigJ:
'breaker breaker 1-9 my brother in lawsd best friends uncle just got fired cause he had more than 5 pounds of cargo in the sleeper'
It's a sad world, breaker. My mommas best friends husbands girlfriend has a daughter who is married to a guy that has a cousin that just got fired cuz the shadow of his behind weighed 45 lbs.
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Save the trees, eat more beavers.

Answer:
As far as the overweight guy goes, either a), it's an urban legend perpetuated by "Richard Simmons" types trying to stuff the "fitness lifestyle" down everyone's throat, or b), someone is using it as a convenient excuse for why he didn't get hired.
As for putting enough junk in the sleeper to need overweight permits, I've seen trucks from just about every major carrier out there with enough crap in them to fill a small house - sometimes more, and never heard of any carriers complaining about it, as long as it was legal and didn't present a safety hazard.

Answer:
They generally try to fill the trailer with as much as they need on the other end, and whatever it weighs is whatever it weighs -- depending on the product.
They just make sure no more than about 44,000 lbs go on a single load (van example) and cut the load if it's too heavy.
The paper work the driver carrys to the delivery with the load, says how heavy the load is supposed to be. It's usually figured by a computer program that adds the weights of each piece or unit -- and is suprisingly accurate most of the time.
Produce, for example, can be heavy and hard to load up to gross. So produce haulers deal with weights alot.
I carry lots of loads between 10,000 to 30,000 pounds -- you wouldn't scale those at the truckstop (etc) unless you didn't trust the paperwork.
But you have to scale the heavier stuff to make sure you're legal. When I get a beer load out of Fort Collins, CO, its usually like 79,860 gross (with me on the truck at 178lbs) ). You gotta adjust your tandems and fifth wheel very precisely to make these gross loads legal. If you can't, you (should) take the truckstop scale ticket back to the shipper and have them cut or reload it.

Answer:
The driver with the weight problem was probably a heart attack waiting to happen.
Wrong. As far as the overweight guy goes, either a), it's an urban legend perpetuated by "Richard Simmons" types trying to stuff the "fitness lifestyle" down everyone's throat, Wrong... or b), someone is using it as a convenient excuse for why he didn't get hired.
...and wrong.
Man, you guys are so far from the truth... I only posted the details of this a couple days ago and already, it's made it to "urban legend" status!
The driver was me. It actually happened, and it was the reason USA Truck gave for rejecting me - it's not an excuse. The nurse at the doctor's office (a local practice) told me as soon as I got off the scale during the weigh-in, that I didn't fall within the BMI (Body Mass Index) that USA policy dictated. She emphasized that it was a USA policy, and not a DOT physical requirement (no surprise there).
It happened to two other drivers while I was there, and White Dog saw it happen to two more when he was there, as well. So beware, drivers, this could be the latest industry hiring snafu.
Incidentally, my heart is in excellent condition, thank you very much - maybe even a sight better than yours. In fact, just last year, I had an extensive physical - complete with heart stress testing (where they hook you up and put you on a treadmill for half an hour), which revealed that I have absolutely NO heart disease. I also exhibited above-average strength and endurance. This is why it made no sense for them to summarily dismiss me over my weight; I can do the job just as well as, or better than, the next guy.
Regardless of whether I was "a heart attack waiting to happen" or not, an employer absolutely can NOT, under any circumstances, tell someone they won't hire them because they weigh too much. That is strictly against EEOC regulations. It's discrimination.
Oink! Oink! Oink! Grunt! Grunt!
Answer:
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Answer:
an employer absolutely can NOT, under any circumstances, tell someone they won't hire them because they weigh too much. That is strictly against EEOC regulations. It's discrimination
Wrong
EEO protects sex, age, race, religion, creed, and disability. Morbid obesity - 100 pounds or more overweight - is not a protected class, except in San Francisco city law, I belive.
Are you claiming discrimination of the basis of a disability? That would be the only way to consider yourself discriminated agains under EEO.
It's clearly a legitimate health concern for a job requiring some mobility and physical activity. You see overweight flight attendants, but you rarely see morbidly obese ones. Same argument could be made in trucking I suppose, given that vehicle weight is also a major concern.
If your morbid obesity was a legitimate "disability", that would be one thing. But morbid obesity is generally considered a behavior problem brought on by poor health habits. You can eliminate your problem through behavior modification. A truly disabled person can not.
Most large trucking companys operate from 'no right to work' states where they can refuse you if they don't like your hair color or anything else, as long as it doesn't fall into one of the protected classes mentioned above. Law enforcement and fire fighters have to meet height/weight criteria, for example. There are many times when such factors disqualify one for a particular employment.
[This message was edited by Shuffler on July 26, 2003 at 7:49.]

Answer:
Originally posted by Fatty Turnbuckle:
Incidentally, my heart is in excellent condition, thank you very much - maybe even a sight better than yours. In fact, just last year, I had an extensive physical - complete with heart stress testing (where they hook you up and put you on a treadmill for half an hour), which revealed that I have absolutely NO heart disease. I also exhibited above-average strength and endurance. This is why it made no sense for them to summarily dismiss me over my weight; I can do the job just as well as, or better than, the next guy.
Regardless of whether I was "a heart attack waiting to happen" or not, an employer absolutely can _NOT,_ under any circumstances, tell someone they won't hire them because they weigh too much. That is strictly against EEOC regulations. It's discrimination.
So sorry for the assumption - I missed the posting altogether! If I were you, and really wanted the job (Sounds like a bunch of wankers that I wouldn't want to work for with a policy like that!), I'd go in there and demand a second opinion from another physician. That would fall under your rights under the ADA. The BMI scale is really invalid for determining an individual's health, when you consider that "X" volume of fat is around 30% or so of the weight of the same volume of muscle. Guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Lou Ferrigno would be considered unhealthy by BMI alone, and a 98 lb meth addict would be considered the picture of fitness.
On your DOT long form is the "marked overweight" box checked? If not, I'd throw that at them as well.

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Ah, have you seen drivers at a truck stop? I believe most truckstops do not have basements because of the limited load capacity for the unsupported floor.
Ok, I apologize. The above was a cheap shot.