Question:
I have recently been diagnosed with Attention deficite disorder. Can someone with ADD get a CDL? I drove for Swift for 15 months.

Answer:
A lot of people believe there's really no such thing as "Attention Deficit Disorder".
However, since you've just "recently been diagnosed", it was probably there all along. And if you drove for Swift with this condition (there's a good joke in there somewhere) and assuming you met their safety and service standards (the second part of the joke), it would seem it does not interfere with being a professional driver. (probably part of the punchline)
I would strongly advise not disclosing this supposed diagnosis to any future employers (unless you're taking medication for it, in which case you MUST disclose any medications and the reason you're taking them when employed as a commercial driver).

Answer:
It it estimated 30,000 people have ADD in this Country.
And yes, ADD is real and yes, it is possible people with ADD can be a danger to everyone on the road.
If you cannot remember things driving at highway speeds, you'll wind up crashing the truck.
As I mentioned before numerous times in the past on this web site.
People have a 3.2 second attention span...It's not a joke

Answer:

Daddio.............I'm 56-years old..I was diagnosed with ADHD about 12-years ago, in my opinion, it was a blessing to me and I thank God I have it..............that's a story for another day though.
As far as getting a CDL-A, Hell yea............you can get one...... and it should have no ill effects on your ability to get a driving position...............I take 20 mg. of "Adderall" each and every day............the only problem, and it's really NOT a problem though, is when I go take my DOT physical...the drug test always comes back positive for "Amphetamines" ...........I just let them know up front......and have the testing company contact my Primary Physician and it is taken care of immediately.
I did have one problem though, a couple of years ago, I decided I was going to pull for "Roehl"...............at their company in-house physical, I informed their resident 105-year old "QUACK DOCTOR" , I had ADHD..........it was no big deal, he just needed a note from my physician that I was able to perform my duties driving............I changed my mind about pulling for them, something about NOT being able to go the posted "Interstate" speed limit just didn't do it for me, so I left, wasn't interested..............Good luck to you, it shouldn't be a problem though, in my opinion, it should be an asset.

Dak1.......I have over 800,000 safe, accident & ticket-free verifiable miles behind me driving a tractor-trailer OTR..........not once have I ever even thought that I had concentration and/or memory issues while driving........if I ever came close to even thinking that, I'd get out of that truck in a heartbeat...........
.I might suggest you do a little research on ADD-ADHD a little before you start to categorize everyone in the same boat...... And as far as a joke......I agree 100% with that statement, it is not a joke.
Answer:
Ardmore Farms, since you have over 800,000 miles of safe driving, am I to conclude 'you" are speaking for the rest of the estimated 30,000 other people with ADD or also known as ADS (Attention Deficit Syndrome).

Answer:
Doncha think everybody is different with its symptoms or severity ?
I get the flu and dont feel it much cept stuffy nose and people tell me I feel hot. On the other hand a friend will get same virus and be down for a week
I say do some intense testing and find out what your breaking point is before making a decision. And be honest with yourself ! Are you safe to others on the road driving ?
Answer:

Dak...........as much as I hate to admit it.....you got me on that one.
I do believe though, there are many more than 30,000........unfortunately today, many unqualified Teachers, Doctors and Parents are suggesting and diagnosing CHILDREN with ADD-ADHD, just so parents will NOT have the burden of raising their children and letting kids be kids..........that is disgusting in my opinion.
Answer:
Estimated 30,000 other people with ADS is the Estimate I got when I did a little research on Google.
I have noticed quite a few people in my travels over the years seem to have some form of ADS.
Truck drivers included. ie: the cannot follow a conversation and not remember something they said not more than a few seconds earlier.
The thing is: when driving a truck, you have to remember cars and trucks and where they are in relation to you on the hwy. If a driver has trouble paying attention, crashes result.
I drive a tanker mostly 7 days a week, out a month or more at a time and run dam near 11 months out of the year.
This year to date I should have about 170,000 miles.
So I see a lot out there on the road everyday.
What do I see?
A whole lot of people not paying attention behind the wheel, that's what I see. Truck Drivers and 4 wheelers alike.
I see the results of the crashes, not pretty. Like the Medevac Helicopter landing on I-75 north bound yesterday. Not good!!!!
I witnessed a semi driver not paying attention, front tire off the pavement, hit the median doing about 85mph 1/4 mile ahead of me, (He just past me, I'm doing 75 in NE,) That rig went down, then up, airborne, rolled over sideways while still in the air, skidded on it's side all the way across the east bound hwy and another 100 feet onto the grass on the other side of the hwy. When I left, they were getting out the jaws of life. I don't think he made it. The tractor frame was twisted 180 degrees from the force of being airborne.
Too many people cannot focus on what they are doing, there attention span is so limited it has become a serious disability.