New To Trucking Does my med car make me look like a liability?

Rusk_Tuskins

Active Member
Fresh out of school with zero experience here. Back in April when I got my DOT physical I was clueless and uninformed. I foolishly marked down on my questionnaire that:
I drink infrequently
I've used marijuana in the past two years
I suffer from an anxiety disorder
I used to suffer from depression
I used to smoke

I am about to attend orientation with a company, but am worried I might get sent home because of what my med card says about me. Considering getting a new physical and not marking any of that stuff this time around. But I'm worried the company might be get suspicious as to why I got a new physical just days prior to attending orientation and getting another DOT physical with them. Should I be worried, or am I just overthinking this? I am completely healthy otherwise and the med card says I'm fit to drive a cmv and I would pass any drug test no problem.
 
I have always put the answers that they want to hear. You have to lie these days.
Do you drink? NO
Smoke? NO
Ever do drugs? NO
Any other issues that would place you in a questionable catagory? NO

You are a model citizen. Unless you can 'self-certify' your medical card in your state and already have, pony up the fees, go to a different Doc, and play like it's your first time through. Honest isn't always the best policy, especially when you have no previous record.

Mine asked if I ever had a 1 year certificate and I said no. He said you do now. In 2 weeks I'm due again and I'll just go to a different doc and se what happens.
 
I have always put the answers that they want to hear. You have to lie these days.
Do you drink? NO
Smoke? NO
Ever do drugs? NO
Any other issues that would place you in a questionable catagory? NO

You are a model citizen. Unless you can 'self-certify' your medical card in your state and already have, pony up the fees, go to a different Doc, and play like it's your first time through. Honest isn't always the best policy, especially when you have no previous record.

Mine asked if I ever had a 1 year certificate and I said no. He said you do now. In 2 weeks I'm due again and I'll just go to a different doc and se what happens.
On mine only the federal Medical Examiner Determination section is completed.
How to I "self-certify" it with my state?
 
I think by "self-certify" that maybe you mean attach it to your CDL.

If I'm reading your post correctly.

In my state, my company usually handles this, otherwise you go to the DMV and they do it there.

As far as the the information you were truthful about, if the company doesn't say anything, then don't bring it up. If you fail a whiz quiz in orientation well, that's on you.

But I'd say if you're serious about getting into the industry, then put aside anything that's not federally legal (CDL drivers fall under federal purview - not state) and learn from this little scare and just move forward.

I've been in trucking 27 years and things aren't getting any better on the interstates as far as I'm concerned, and the industry needs people with their head in the game, and free of as much baggage and as many distractions as possible.

Good luck in the future.
 
Can't disagree with any of that.

In Florida, you log into the MV site, enter your DL number and access the section that lets you scan and submit your newest Medical Certificate. You enter all the info to the site, just as it reads on the certificate and attach a copy of such. The state verifies that you had a physical with a doctor on the National Registry. The doctor does not enter anything but submitting a copy of the Medical Certificate, had you passed.

You need to check with the laws and regulations in the state that you reside and abide by their requirements.

I'm in this biz for 42+ years and I'd really like to know that the truck that I'm forced to ride next to has a competent operator in it.

Your past is your past. If there is no law enforcement record, who's to say what you did? I did all that and more before I became an operator. You have to make your own choice on where you want to be in life. I'm content in my choice.
 
I think by "self-certify" that maybe you mean attach it to your CDL.

If I'm reading your post correctly.

In my state, my company usually handles this, otherwise you go to the DMV and they do it there.

As far as the the information you were truthful about, if the company doesn't say anything, then don't bring it up. If you fail a whiz quiz in orientation well, that's on you.

But I'd say if you're serious about getting into the industry, then put aside anything that's not federally legal (CDL drivers fall under federal purview - not state) and learn from this little scare and just move forward.

I've been in trucking 27 years and things aren't getting any better on the interstates as far as I'm concerned, and the industry needs people with their head in the game, and free of as much baggage and as many distractions as possible.

Good luck in the future.
Yes I'm thinking thats what he meant by self-certify as well.

Then I suppose I'll just go get a new med card then go to the DMV and attach it to my cdl. Only thing worrying me about that is if the company finds it suspicious I got a med card so recently, or they look up my first med card somehow. But I find those scenarios unlikely.
 
Yes I'm thinking thats what he meant by self-certify as well.

Then I suppose I'll just go get a new med card then go to the DMV and attach it to my cdl. Only thing worrying me about that is if the company finds it suspicious I got a med card so recently, or they look up my first med card somehow. But I find those scenarios unlikely.

Another thing, lots of times a company will send you to their own doctor (or chiropractor) and get a physical and med card from that place. Usually this is done at the beginning of an onboarding.

So you might have another chance anyway.
 
Another thing, lots of times a company will send you to their own doctor (or chiropractor) and get a physical and med card from that place. Usually this is done at the beginning of an onboarding.

So you might have another chance anyway.
Chiropractors give DOT physicals??? They aren't actually medial doctors. Hahaha, that pretty funny.
 
I remember when I was leased to Daily Express, whenever you pulled into any of their terminals, they would hand you a cup and say, 'Follow me.' You either kept working or stripped their name off of the truck.

@Rusk_Tuskins you really need to find out if the doc forwards the Med Cert that he/she gave you in your state of residence before spending the money needlessly for a second physical. Using a newer one is almost admitting guilt to something. A simple phone call to the doc will tell you what to do.
 
@Rusk_Tuskins once you get your answers, stick around and tell us the outcome. I'm sure more than a few people thinking about doing this are reading the thread. Just about everyone here is a, 'been there, done that', driver.
 
I remember when I was leased to Daily Express, whenever you pulled into any of their terminals, they would hand you a cup and say, 'Follow me.' You either kept working or stripped their name off of the truck.

@Rusk_Tuskins you really need to find out if the doc forwards the Med Cert that he/she gave you in your state of residence before spending the money needlessly for a second physical. Using a newer one is almost admitting guilt to something. A simple phone call to the doc will tell you what to do.
Forwards to who/what?

Only a FEDERAL medical examiner determination section is completed on my current card, but this card has been attached to my license at my state's DMV.

The welcome letter from the company says this in the list of documents to bring:
  1. DOT Medical Card
  2. DOT Physical Long Form-If your medical certification is due to expire within 6 months and/ or you do not bring your full, most recent, long form you will retake your physical with us at orientation.
 
If I'm reading your statement right, then getting another physical may just look incriminating of something. Make your application to your selected companies. If they see you have the proper credentials, they may, like @Sinister said, send you to their own doctor and go by that determination. Again, I don't know the laws of your state and they all vary.
 
In Texas he could just go to any old dot clinic and get a new card and fax it to the state. Then that’ll be the one on file, obviously this time you don’t confess all your past sins. But yeah I guess every state is different.
 
The welcome letter from the company says this in the list of documents to bring:
  1. DOT Medical Card
  2. DOT Physical Long Form-If your medical certification is due to expire within 6 months and/ or you do not bring your full, most recent, long form you will retake your physical with us at orientation.
I'll just get a new one since my long form physical expires in less than 6 months. There's my excuse.
 

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