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Allen Smith is the founder of truthabouttrucking.com and is an expert in the field of motor carrier transportation, and the most recognized advocate for assisting students and new drivers. Helping thousands of students, new drivers and inexperienced drivers understand the scams within the trucking industry, he has become a major player in raising the standards of the trucking industry. All topics relating to trucking and improving the quality of life and work conditions for drivers are discussed, including special guests appearances by experts in the field.
Aubrey 'Allen' Smith
Date / Time: 4/13/2009 11:30 PM UTC
Category: Business
Are you wanting to become a truck owner operator and considering the trucking companies lease purchase program? Have you been told you can make $100,000 plus per year as an owner operator? No credit check, no money down, own your own truck through one of the trucking lease purchase programs? 30+ year trucking veteran and 14 year Owner Operator, Allen Smith explains the facts about truck ownership through lease purchase and wants you to fully understand the Federal Truth in Leasing Law.
Original Air Date: 12/31/2008 4:00 AM UTC
Original Air Date: 12/17/2008 12:30 AM UTC
Date / Time: 12/14/2008 5:13 PM UTC
When considering a career as a professional truck driver, all too often our past can catch up with us. Whether it be violations on our driving record or former mistakes we've made such as misdemeanors or even felonies, suddenly we can find ourselves in a position of not being able to obtain the CDL license. Even certain medical conditions could cause your dream of entering over the road truck driving to fade away. Many times, people will discover things such as these after they've completed the truck driving training, and by then, of course...it is too late.
I receive the same two questions from newcomers to the trucking industry over and over..."Will I be able to pass the DOT examination?" and "Will a trucking company hire me?" In my opinion, these are the wrong questions to ask. If you have anything on your record that is questionable, be it points on your license, criminal or medical, that you feel may cause you trouble passing the DOT exam or getting hired, it really does not matter if you can pass the DOT physical or even if a trucking company hires you. These two questions are not what you should be asking.
"Am I an insurable driver?" That is the question!
Everyone tends to believe that it is entirely up to the Medical Examiner and/or trucking company to decide if a person is qualified to operate the commercial motor vehicle. It is not. Ultimately, the final decision will always rest with the insurance company of the particular motor carrier. This is why so many new drivers have gone through the process: passed the DOT physical, been hired on by the carrier, and two weeks later receive that call or qualcom message that they will have to return to the home terminal and be removed from the company.
Even if the medical examiner states that the driver in question, in his or her opinion, can operate a CMV safely based on the meds that the driver is taking, (and that is all the company needs to hear), the ultimate decision lies with the insurance carrier. Furthermore, if a company accepts a driver with a questionable (criminal) background, a few weeks later you could find yourself having to turn the truck back in and returning home without a job. Why? Because even though the company and medical examiner "accepted" the driver, for whatever reason...the insurance company declined to insure the driver.
When it comes to the medication that a driver may be taking, the insurance carrier may always have the "fear" that the driver could suddenly stop taking their meds. As irrational that this may seem to the driver, the insurance company will have their own rules and guidelines to go by. A perfect example would be Bipolar depression disorder. This condition can easily be controlled by the right medications. However, the insurance carrier must always ask the question and wonder about what would happen if the driver decided to stop taking the prescribed meds? The same goes for various other conditions...diabetes, high blood pressure and so forth.
For the most part, drivers will naturally stay on their meds, but insurance companies have to look at the possibilities of how the trucking life can interfere with the driver's daily routine. What if the driver is running hard for the week and simply "forgets" to take the meds? We all know how stressful truck driving can be...what if it is only a matter of "forgetting?"
Insurance carriers look at these types of situations on a case to case basis. This is why you will hear of one driver with a medical condition being insured and everything is fine...yet, another driver with the same condition is terminated. Why? Only the insurance company knows. Something that they read, heard or whatever...made them decide that insuring the particular driver would not be in their best interest.
I see this very often in cases involving criminal or even misdemeanor violations. How many of you have gone through the truck driver training, received your CDL, have been hired by the trucking company, and a few weeks later found yourself dismissed from the job for a DUI that occurred ten years prior? It is because the insurance carrier, not the medical examiner or the trucking company, the insurance carrier...failed to insure you...for whatever their reasons.
Understand, that there are thousands of drivers operating commercial motor vehicles with these types of situations, so this is not to say that if one applies to you, then you should immediately "give up" on your goal of becoming a truck driver. You should, however, stop relying on the basis if you will be able to pass the DOT exam or if trucking companies will hire you. You need to look deeper into the realms of how trucking really works.
One of those realms are the insurance carriers. Are you an insurable driver? That is the question.
Date / Time: 12/7/2008 6:17 PM UTC
Professional, over the road truck driving can take its toll on the human body. Stress, poor diet, low excercise and lack of rest often lead to health problems for truck drivers. Even local drivers experience the side effects of a professional driving career. Nothing is more important to the OTR driver than being able to start the day feeling rested and having the mental alertness that is needed for the safe operation of that 18 wheeler.
Thanks to years of research and over 60,000 published papers, people are now discovering the health benefits of a powerful antioxidant. Truckers can literally drive themselves to better health with Glutathione.
A very small molecule, Glutathione is produced by the body and found in every cell. It is the body's most important antioxidant because it is actually within the cell itself. Antioxidants, such as Vitamin C and E are important for good health because they inactivate the effects of free radicals, which build up in our cells and cause damage. Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms that have an unpaired number of electrons. Once formed, these radicals will start a chain reaction within the body and by interacting with cellular components such as our DNA or the cell membrane, can lead to health problems such as cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, cataracts and Aids...just to name a few. Antioxidants are needed in order to fight against these free radicals in order for us to maintain good health.
Since Glutathione exists within our cells, studies have shown that it is in the greatest position to neutralize these free radicals. Medical research has also shown that Glutathione is found in all types of cells, including the cells of our immune system. The powerful effect of Glutathione shows that it keeps our cells running smoothly. Research has also shown that Glutathione assists the liver in removing foreign chemicals from our bodies.
Years of research have shown that people suffering from serious illnesses, such as cancer and Aids, almost in every case, are depleted in Glutathione. Why their bodies are depleted of this self producing antioxidant is unclear, but the studies have shown that Glutathione is extremely important for maintaining intracellular health. Glutathione studies continue to show that it has the ability to fight nearly any disease, even those associated with the aging process.
The common aches and pains brought on by truck driving, along with fatigue, is a common sign of Glutathione depletion. Taking pure Glutathione will not help because the molecules are destroyed by the digestive system. Therefore, one must take the precursors of Glutathione, glutamine and acetyle cysteine, which will allow the body to produce Glutahtione naturally.
I have been trucking for 30 years, with many of those years being in the Household Goods industry. Eventually, my body just wore down. The aches and pains within my entire body made it difficult to even get through the day. Not being one to take medications, I finally agreed to try a Glutathione supplement, after much prodding by my wife who has a background in the medical field and research. After the third week of taking the supplement, all of the aches and pains were gone. I was no longer fatigued and my mental alertness was greatly sharpened. The benefits I received from taking the Glutathione supplement are too numerous to mention here, but if you would like to ask me more about it, you can write me at: allen@truthabouttrucking.com - having always been very skeptical of these sort of things, I have to say that I am totally amazed at the results.
If I had not experienced it for myself, I never would have believed it. Now, professional truck drivers are discovering the importance of Glutathione. The trucking life can bring about stress, fatigue and all those little aches and pains commonly associated with the aging process. Glutathione is proving itself for its worth among the medical field. Remember that name, Glutathione...I'm sure you're going to be hearing more about it in the years to come. For more information about Glutathione, please visit : http://www.max4truckerhealth.com
Original Air Date: 12/2/2008 1:00 AM UTC
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