Today was a good day!

Thursday, January 26, 2012: A very good day in the life of this federal retiree, to be sure. First, I went to the local office of the Michigan Secretary of State to get the Commercial Drivers License (CDL) permit and passed all four parts of the test on the first try! I now am in possession of a Michigan CDL Temporary Instruction Permit and an unrestricted DOT medical certificate that says I am medically qualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle. Since I hate taking knowledge tests and this one is a bit complex, passing it on my first try is very good news, indeed.

After taking the tests - and sharing the good news with my children! - I came home and received a telephone call from the owner of West Michigan CDL, the school I hope to attend as soon as my annual leave payment arrives, which should be "any day now." The owner said they have an opening in the Monday class because one of the students who was going to be in the class did not pass his DOT medical check so he had to withdraw. They offered me the slot with the understanding that if my money doesn't show up in the next 3 weeks of school, they will withhold the graduation certificate and other paperwork until I do pay them. I said I understand and accepted their offer.

Beginning Monday, I will be in training to become a truck driver! I promise to keep you up-to-date on how class goes, dear reader. This is a very exciting time in my life.

DOT medical: Done!

January 23, 2012. Today, I went to a local health provider to see if I could pass the DOT medical required by all commercial vehicle operators. As you recall from my previous blogs, I was sent home from a large national carrier because I did not meet their medical standards. Honestly, that rejection shook my own confidence and I wanted to see if I should even pursue this "bucket list" employment any farther. So I decided to fork over the $113.00 for the drug screen and DOT physical....no sense in spending more for CDL training if I couldn't pass the basic physical, right? Guess what?

I passed and received a 2-year medical card, the longest one they issue! That means that everything in my medical history and physical assessment met the minimum requirements for issuance! BP? Good. Drug screen? Negative. BMI/neck size? Within guidelines.

I'm a happy boy today. Now, on the Step 2, taking the Michigan CDL knowledge tests for issuance of the CDL Permit!

Bad news

1/10/2012: Well, darn my bad luck. I've been sent home as "permanently medically disqualified" by the company. Reason: A motorcycle accident 35 years ago resulted in a skull fracture. Since there will be no records for that, the company assumes the worst and assumes I will suffer seizures.

The problem with that line of thinking is that I had to prove to the FAA medical staff that I would not have seizures while flying airplanes. That process took 2 years and $10,000 back in the early 1970's. And I flew passengers for years, getting medical exams emery six months until I went to work for the FAA.

Oh well. It is what it is. Now I have to develop Plan B.