Career move?
Posted by Buckky2015@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 48 comments
I am thinking about becoming a trucker. However I weight close to 500 lbs and I am thinking about having a trucking company pay me to get a cdl. Would it be better to pay for the school on my own? Can I even do this being so big?
TruckerTimmah@reddit
Lose a bit of weight... See if you can get a Med Card.... I recommend trying to get a physical job for the first few years. Think Sysco, Gordon Food Service, Cheney Brothers. Its going to be rough but you will lose an absolute fuck ton of weight and build muscle tone. I dropped 100lbs the first year with Sysco.
FlamingoWorking7598@reddit
Telling someone who is 500 lb to get a food service job is just evil lol
Buckky2015@reddit (OP)
What is a med card ?
NectarineAny4897@reddit
At 500lb, there is no way you are passing the dot physical. Not yet. You have some work to do. Good luck!
AaronTuplin@reddit
I passed mine every year and I'm a big fatso. They definitely lean hard into apnea testing but I have no symptoms
NectarineAny4897@reddit
Well, as long as the BP is under control, there are possibilities…
magichands6969@reddit
see if you can pass the DOT physical first, and then see if you can climb into a truck.
oasuke@reddit
Come work at McLane or Sysco. You'll be down to 180lbs in a year
Enterhandleshere@reddit
No disrespect my friend I don’t know where you live sir (I don’t know what support you can get) but your only job should be losing weight. I’d personally find a way to just support my housing situation and be in the gym working with personal trainers/heath gurus. Lots of money or career choices in the future if you’re around to see it.
Buckky2015@reddit (OP)
I am thank full for the honesty. I rather hear this stuff now. I know I need to make a change.
THExPILLOx@reddit
Hard truths. Every company I've ever worked and cr england in their first day of their CDL program, has required a driver be able to climb into the back of a trailer.
I consider myself a pretty sizeable landwhale and you got three digits on me. If you're a fellow active fatty, you MIGHT be able to make it work. If you're a waddle around and struggle to climb stairs fatty, then I don't think you'll be able to find a job in this field.
keytiri@reddit
My company cdl mill didn’t do this… I was later the one to get workers comp for tripping walking bols in. Dispatch asked me once to help another driver out, he was unable to climb into trailer for osd pictures. Really wish our trailers had some steps, just a grab bar and a 2-3” ledge, I feel it’s just a matter of time with me.
Dezzolve@reddit
Not only climb in the trailer, but climb in there safely. If you have to struggle and hop and do some sketchy things to get in they are not going to let you out on the road. That’s a workers comp suit waiting to happen.
THExPILLOx@reddit
i can't speak on that fully, i just know they had a mock trailer door mounted to the wall and everyone had to climb up on it and then immediately go piss in a cup before they could hit the classroom lol
Level_Bird_9913@reddit
Lose weight, make sure your cardiovascular system is in at least passable shape then go for your CDL. It's long hours of sitting on your ass doing nothing other than stare at the road.
If you don't maintain yourself, you will die in that cab.
phil_mycock_69@reddit
500lbs already? Not being a dick but trucking will be the death of you. I went from 160 to 230 in 2 years starting at the age of 26. Luckily for me I’m 6’4 so carried the weight well. Trucking isn’t healthy at all and as stated; if you’re that weight already, you’re risking further issues
Buckky2015@reddit (OP)
I am working on a weight loss plan now. But I also want to find a job that doesn’t pay shit wages.
easymachtdas@reddit
You can absplutely change your lifestyle while trucking. I have a coworker that dropped 200lbs in the last few years living in his truck.
i wish you strength, food and weightloss is extremely difficult.
NeoAcario@reddit
One of our drivers did that by going Keto. Since he didn’t have a bunch of junk in the truck… it was easier for him to be disciplined. He shit himself stupid for like a month though.
Some_Ad934@reddit
Yes or start smoking cigarettes because of the stress and eat 1 protein bar a day , weight loss guaranteed 💪🏿
easymachtdas@reddit
Notwrong
Dezzolve@reddit
I would go as far as to say you need to be either an extremely motivated individual when it comes to working out or work a position that requires a lot of physical activity (local p&d, grocery, gas, flatbed) just in order to not gain weight as a truck driver, let alone lose weight.
Your coworker is an exceptional human being for losing that much weight in a truck and it is to be congratulated.
But it is almost as if the industry is geared towards making drivers fat and sedentary. These examples mainly apply to OTR but you have warehouses that won’t let you on the floor to load/unload, no real healthy options for food at truck stops (subway with their sugar bread doesn’t count), and trails or walking paths are very rare at truck stops and who wants to do parking lot laps while smelling hot piss the whole time.
That’s what I mean by extremely motivated individuals, those who are willing to actively go out of their way to go to gyms or workout otherwise and cook their own healthier meals. People who can avoid grabbing a candy bar and a soda every time they stop. Most truckers are not doing those things.
And it is very unlikely that someone who in their own comfortable controlled environment with nearly limitless options to better their health already and has reached 500lbs will be one of those few who can lose weight OTR. I would very much doubt they have a chance to do any local or physical work either because of their weight, they just would not be able to perform it.
If OP gets in a truck, he will die in the truck.
easymachtdas@reddit
You have to cook. Pressure cooker, crockpot, airfryer are all easy to make work.
Yes exercise is important, but its a tool. What it comes down to is what you put in your mouthhole.
threeglude@reddit
I'm gonna cut it to you straight, not going to beat around bushes, just gonna tell it as I see it.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 Most trucking jobs pay shit wages, especially those who would be willing to take a risk on you. You're extreme weight is going to add all sorts of liabilities and limitations. Firstly, how in tf are you going to lift 500lbs up roughly 4-5 feet off the ground just to get into the truck? Secondly, how are you going to be able to react fast enough when, not if, but when Shit hits the fan, which by the way, can happen without notice. Are you capable of keeping your head on a swivel? Because being a diligent driver means you're checking the mirrors every 10 seconds or so. You can't just sit there looking out the front like a deer staring down headlights. Will you be able to get in and out of the truck multiple times within a span of 3-5 minutes during your first 6 months when your backing up? Because guess what, you'll be jumping in and out, at least you better be, several times during each back up, until you know exactly what's happening with every quarter inch of your truck/trailer. And even then, a PROFESSIONAL driver STILL GOAL's (get out and look) at least once or twice in somewhat tight to really tight spots.
There's a lot to think of here, that's for sure. But man, this gig shouldn't be for morbidly obese people and let's face it. 500lbs is morbidly obese.
COVFEFE-4U@reddit
Not to mention the risk of heart attack, and hopefully, it doesn't happen while driving and ends up killing some poor soul who had nothing to do with it.
palebd@reddit
I can see getting lazy and fat doing otr. I've been at for 3 years, and I got the lazy part down pat. Thankfully I haven't gained too much weight. Fluctuating between 160 and 170. Ideally I should be at 150 for my height and frame. But as long as I don't get up to 175 I'm ok. For what it's worth I started this career weighing 160.
icy_penguins@reddit
As a fellow 500 pounder, down to 480 currently, working on getting more off, if you can move around and get in and out of the truck without huffing and puffing, get in and out of a trailer then, go for it. If you struggle to breathe walking around your house, don't bother until you get the weight off or at least turn some fat into muscle. It doesn't get any easier once you're in the truck, trust me. I have fought my weight my whole life and trucking only made it harder
Buckky2015@reddit (OP)
See my thought is I can lose weight but not keeping food in the cab.
icy_penguins@reddit
Something else to do if you're serious, spend 90 or 100 bucks and go get your own physical done at concentra or one of those med places that does it, not a chiropractor but an actual med place. That will tell you everything you need to know before you invest any time or resources.
Pocket_Biscuits@reddit
Concentra is the one that always pushes for sleep studies, right?
My urgent care measured my neck but that's it. And I'm a short pudgy guy.
icy_penguins@reddit
They all push for it anymore, I fought it for years and finally gave up and just went and got a sleep study done. Yeah, im on a cpap now but that's just easier than fighting them every time
stormofthedragon@reddit
Do you stress eat? If so, there will be food in your cab eventually. This job is getting discriminatory towards fatties. Too many drivers found dead in their trucks, I guess. It will be hard for you to get in, and if you do, it will be with a company paying wages probably worse than what you're making now. Companies just do what the insurance companies say now. Blood pressure can't be high, or you will be disqualified. Cpap will be mandatory. Heaven help you if you have diabetes. Trucking has become super invasive. They want to know and monitor everything about you, and if you aren't to standard, they will kick you out for a fresh face.
icy_penguins@reddit
Thats actually worse than if you had your own food. Road food is absolute garbage, there are very few "healthy" options if you plan on not eating out of the truck. Invest in a good cooler if you don't have a fridge, get a grill or a instapot and buy your own proteins and greens. It's cheaper and you'll eat much better.
sharifdolikeit@reddit
Another issue with carrying that much weight is if you are hauling loads that are close to the gross vehicle weight restrictions, you and all of your stuff are adding close to 1000 lbs to the total weight of the tractor and drive axles which could make the difference in getting an overweight ticket at a scale.
Pocket_Biscuits@reddit
If you are serious, go get a dot physical. See if there's anything other than weight that needs worked on. Like blood sugar, pressure, and possibly a sleep study. If it's really something you want to do, just keep working on your health and once you can pass the physical then try for jobs/school.
heavyramp@reddit
Might have to go omad( one meal a day). Even gym bros who lift heavy and walk more than 15000 steps daily are in a 2500 or less daily caloric intake, divided between one meal and a post workouts smaller meal.
just_me1969@reddit
I doubt you'd pass the DOT physical
MostlyUseful@reddit
The prospect of you passing your DOT physical is slim af. Not only that, most trucking jobs are sedentary and the promise to yourself of exercising on your thirty minute break or when you shut down is rarely fulfilled. When in training you would be required to sleep on the top bunk and it will not support your weight. I don’t see you being able to do flatbed because of the climbing we have to do to get on loads to tarp them. I would suggest that you work on shedding some serious weight before trying to get in a truck.
Usuallyfiesty616@reddit
Don't do it man, sadly trucking will be the death of you
The7thZwei@reddit
I paid for my own cdl. 5 thousand dollars, but I'm not beholden to any company. Lose the weight, avoid truck stop food, and learn to keep food in the truck without eating it. I pull into to Walmart once a week for groceries. Protein and fresh fruits and vegetables. Exercise in the morning to start my metabolism.
MostOriginalNameEver@reddit
Get your big ass in a gym right now and come back to trucking when you're under 300
If what I said hurts you're not ready for the road
IcyPlant9129@reddit
Could work at Amazon and get CDL with them.
12InchPickle@reddit
Lose the weight now. Then get your CDL and watch your weight. You won’t be able to get a dot physical pass at that weight.
icy_penguins@reddit
As a fellow 500 pounder, down to 480 currently, working on getting more off, if you can move around and get in and out of the truck without huffing and puffing, get in and out of a trailer then, go for it. If you struggle to breathe walking around your house, don't bother until you get the weight off or at least turn some fat into muscle. It doesn't get any easier once you're in the truck, trust me. I have fought my weight my whole life and trucking only made it harder.
icy_penguins@reddit
As a fellow 500 pounder, down to 480 currently, working on getting more off, if you can move around and get in and out of the truck without huffing and puffing, get in and out of a trailer then, go for it. If you struggle to breathe walking around your house, don't bother until you get the weight off or at least turn some fat into muscle. It doesn't get any easier once you're in the truck, trust me. I have fought my weight my whole life and trucking only made it harder.
nastyzoot@reddit
No. You won't pass the DOT physical.
Buckky2015@reddit (OP)
Thank you for your honesty.
PhoenixSmasher@reddit
You're going to have to be able to pass a DOT physical, and whatever company that would be willing to pay you to get your CDL will more than likely have all kinds of red tape involved. If you're not already using a CPAP, they'll make you get one, which means you'll have to get re-certified more often than other drivers.