Question:
have been with this co.for 25 years operating heavy equipment, and I turned a dozer over on itsside,so had to take drug test, failed. was fired. I'm a newbie wanting to drive otr. Although the record is not on my mvr, is there any co. that would hire me. I've been clean for 2 years. Any help . THANKS

Answer:
Maybe. Some companies will turn you down flat for even one failed drug test, while others will overlook one that was a couple of years old. Before plucking down money for schooling I suggest you call around to companies and find out what their exact individual policies are on this.
If you went through drug abuse counseling or a program, round up any papers you have on this It may help. If you do find a job then fully expect to be tested often for the first year or two.
I certainly hope that you have given up the drugs for good. If you really have then good luck to you. If not then please dont bother applying for a truck driving job because we sure dont need a druggie out there any more than we need a booze hound.
Answer:
Go get evaluated. It can only help.
Like U-Turn said: Good advice.
Drugs are fun until they screw up your life.
In trucking drugs are not tolerated one bit.
Get clean and stay clean---time will only tell what may come from this.
My advice? Since this was not trucking related; it may be easy to hide. However the application asks have you EVER tested possitive for drugs/alcohol, and if you put no, and later they fid out you lied---you are fired and subject to fine like the fine print reads.
You may need this company as a reference (trucking companies are required by law to varify last three years employment---10 if driving jobs are involved), and they will send a sheet for your old employer to fill out whether you have failed or refused drug and alcohol tests while employed with them----and your old company is going to tell them "yes".
Tough call.It's apparent this place is never going to change....then again; why should it? It gets the clientel it deserves.
Bette Midler

Answer:
Nice thing about OTR. If it isnit on the MVR or DAC and you do not give your last employer. They will not get the drug test in most cases. Unles you have a drug back ground Like I do. Still most OTR companies have never found it. The battery yes.
You were not under the FMCSA regs when you turned over the dozer.
You can say you were self employed cutting wood and mowing lawns for the last 10 years.
That would be lieing.202 N Main Street
Summerfield Il 62289
TRUCK PARKING AVAILABLE!

Answer:
And then he will get nailed to the cross for false information on an application.
Lets not forget that he is going to have to cough up "proof" that he was "self employed".....and or statements from people like lawyers, ministers, etc. that can be verified. I've been down that street myself because I was self employed and a business owner. Had to jump through a number of hoops over it.
Frankly, I would suggest that if he has experience operating heavy equipment, that he try to get employed back in that game. Maybe he will have to do alittle bit of "grovelling", but if he does it right....and gets rehired by someone, he will be better off. If he pulls off a lie and gets into trucking, and its ever found out later he lied......he's done for good, period. And if he were to ever have an accident, and came under tight scrutiny by a lawyer looking for money.... and they really dig....they'll find it..... and guess whats gonna happen? Yup, his and his employers worst nightmare will be in full swing......and the lawyers gonna be smilin' all the way to the bank.
Databases are expanding.....and after watching a program I saw the other night, it would seem that anything that goes on paper will be retrievable, if it isn't already. This is not something I would lie about.So I like what I do, you don't, too bad, get over it. Get on with your life, I am.

Answer:
Keep your mouth shut and answer no to the questions on the application.
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It was not a FMCSA regulated test......it is not on your MVR......it is not on a DAC report........so how the F are they going to find out...unless you tell them?
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The bottom line to all this is that after you are hired and start your new "career".....you will find out how the current practices of the industry have totally F#*ked up, one of the all time great American occupations......long haul trucking!
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Answer:
Lets see, he can either lie a blue streak, falsify information on an employment application....in which case if he is found out, or worse yet, found out after an accident (even if its not his fault).....and up getting "keelhauled", "blackballed", and possibly face legal consequences. In the event of an accident....I give it about a 99% chance that he will get found out. Then he will lose "big time", and if there are injuries involved, then a lawsuit....followed by an award for damages, even a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy filing won't make it go away.
Or he can be a big boy, take his lumps, learn his lesson....and move on with his life. I still think it would be best if he stuck to what he knew best. Hell, if I was him, I would be a man about it, go back and talk to my former employer and try to get my job back. If he had been a good performer for that many years.... alittle groveling can go a long way. You never know.
There are programs in place regarding substance abuse, treatment programs and such.....that preclude "dismissal" and the programs are voluntary and normally paid for either by health insurance or the company. Often times companies cannot afford to lose experienced personnel....and treatment programs are one route. Maybe this person was unwilling for what ever reason to go through a program like this. If so, its possible that it cost him or her a career that was 25 years long.
You cannot know that it is not in "DAC's" database.....unless you have access to that database. They provide employment information to many companies in MANY different career fields. And were there to be a crosslinked search of databases (which is something they do) it will be found. DAC does not just report information truckin' companies feed them, they are also a Credit Bureau, covered under the laws known as FCRA, and they do "public records searches" as well as other investigative searches. What with the amount of information being sold and shared....you have no way of knowing what is there.
Even if you pay for your "DAC" report.....you will more than likely only get the information that they want you to get.
Yes, he or she can take their chances.....on telling lies, and paying the consequences if found out later, or deal with it up front. Personally, I think the odds of success for winning the lottery are better.
Besides......if this individual was "recreationally" using controlled substances, do you really think there is "ZERO" chance of reoccurence? Do you really want to wonder if the truck coming at you on a two lane road at 65 mph has a "stoned" driver in it? Not me.
Sorry to paint the unhappy side of this....but sometimes reality is a tough ride.
We all make choices, but the other half of the game goes with the saying: "If you are going to do the crime, you have to be ready to do the time".So I like what I do, you don't, too bad, get over it. Get on with your life, I am.

Answer:

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Now that Luke Skywalker has you already in an accident, with serious injuries to the party you hit, being sued, and criminally charged, and bankrupt.......Oh! and smoking a big fat joint in your truck as you motor down the road.....just remember the most important factor.....which is that OTR trucking today is a suck a$$ job and you will work for an average of 20 to 40 hours a week for no pay...zero $$....zilch..nada. That is just the tip of the iceberg of issues out there awaiting you in OTR trucking.
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Best advise is to answer NO and deny, deny, deny.
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By the way Skywalker.......nice touch with you using the "questionable manhood" technique.........." be a man and fess up"......... Pa-leeez! give us a break...LOL LOL

Answer:
cheapshot......the monicker appears to fit.
I did not place anyone in an accident or using drugs. You apparently took license to do so. I merely made observations concerning "possibilities", and since "he or she" asked for advice, I gave it. Obviously you and I have a different viewpoint on what this individual should do. The monicker of "plumbob" gives no direct reference to the gender of the writer...thus your allegation of my using a "questionable manhood technique" lacks merit. I merely placed the information in the male form for ease of writing. Nothing more, nothing less. You can re-read the post and try to absorb the fact that I used that form for the most part.
What you and others don't seem to realize is that it is not even necessary to injure someone in an accident or even be at fault to end up being judged by a jury in a courtroom. All it takes is an accident. Thats all, and that coupled with all the "free consultations" lawyers give nowadays and the ads with lawyers waving $$ bills and the testimonials of previous clients.....well, lets just say its downhill from there.
What you appear to be unaware of is the fact that since he rolled over a "dozer", there is record of it. I'm relatively sure that there was an insurance claim that was filed by the owner of the dozer....so there is information in a database regarding the accident...probably crosslinked to another databse containing his name, ssan, details of the accident, and containing the drug test failure, and if the drug test isn't there...its probably linked in another database. I am well aware of what can be found in those databases as I used to have access to many of them. It only took 3 minutes to get a ton of information, to include all credit and public records, on a person. And it only cost me $9.75.
You apparently are grossly unaware of the level of information that is available in databases, not to mention you apparently missed my reference to the fact that "DAC", not only stores driver employment information, but also stores and reports information for many industries and the companies therein.
I enjoyed your attempted "deflection" about how screwed up OTR is.....after your mini-diatribe. Since you don't know for whom he might work, your comments carry little merit.
I can only hope the person that asked for the advice is capable of reading and digesting information..and following that up with an intelligent decision. I took no pleasure in writing what I have, but reality is tough, no-one owes us an easy ride. We make decisions and do things....so we all have to be prepared to "pay the fiddler if we choose to dance".
What will really suck...is if he takes your advice, and invests his time and money in going to driving school...get pre-hired, travels to orientation and then gets sent home because a skeleton crawls out of the closet. He will then be totally out of luck, blackballed, and will have wasted his time and money for nothing....which I suspect will be of little or no consequence to you.
I stand on the advice that I gave. He is better of trying to stay in his prior career field. He is not the only person to have made that mistake, and surely with effort can overcome the obstacles ahead. I can only hope that "plumbob" will make the intelligent decision.
I wish this person all the luck and success possible for the future.So I like what I do, you don't, too bad, get over it. Get on with your life, I am.

Answer:
Plumbob......I took a few minutes today and called on of the recruiters at my company and laid out the scenario you are in. Her opinion pretty much parralledl mine, however.....she stated that while our company probably could or would find out about the drug test....via different sources, she went on to state that "there are companies that will hire a person who has failed a drug test...as long as the test failure was far enough in the past, and how far back in the past would be determined by each company's own hiring policies." SO, there exists the possibility that you could get hired.
Before I signed up for school and invested time and money, I would spend some time researching and contacting different companies and asking them about your particular predicament. I might suggest that you look to smaller companies, as I believe the major players have the most stringent rules. I could be wrong, but I have a feeling I am more correct than not.
I wish you all the luck in the future, regardless of where your endeavours take you!!So I like what I do, you don't, too bad, get over it. Get on with your life, I am.

Answer:
I just want to let you all know how much I appreciate your opinions. Sorry I haven't replied back sooner. Just to let you know, I don't ever plan on doing drugs again, and I don't think it would be a good idea to lie about my past. Eventually, I would be found out. As for staying with heavy equipment, I wouldn't mind doing that but I was just checking into trucking because I've always wanted to do that. Skywalker, thank you for calling your company and getting their opinion on this. That gives me some hope. Just so you know, I am currently employed. I am working construction but laid off most of the winter. I just want something steady with better benefits. Thanks again for all your help and any more opinions are appreciated.

Answer:
USA will hire you!
Answer:

Fatty; what are you doing to this poor man? You and I both know he don't wanna go that route. It's apparent this place is never going to change....then again; why should it? It gets the clientel it deserves.
Bette Midler

Answer:

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Good God Skywalker...are you ever long winded!
Explain what you mean here, when you say "my attempted deflection of OTR"
Are you one of those people who paints the rosy picture of OTR life?
You have above average writing skills which makes me believe you are intelligent, so...............?????????

Answer:

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