How likely is a hair drug test for pre-employment?
It becoming increasingly popular over the past few years. Its extremely difficult to pinpoint which companies will ask for which kind of test. I have had two experiences with pre-employment hair tests. The first was with a fortune 100 company (2013). I kicked butt in the interviews and it was such an awesome fit mutually. Then I got my 'conditional job offer' that explained I needed to pass a background and drug test. I thought hey, no problem. I can pass a pee test. So I kept reading until I reached the bottom and read HAIR FOLLICLE TEST. My jaw dropped.I combed through the internet for hair detox frantically, jaw still dragging the floor. I spent probably about $150 on a few different detox products. I followed the direction of at least 2 detoxes to the T. When I showed up at Quest Diagnostics, the lady said my hair on my head was too short and they would take it from my chest. A few days later, I get a call from Quest explaining I popped for THC. And a few minutes later, fortune 100 called and withdrew their offer. I was crushed and still think about how my life would be different.The second time was completely unexpected. I found a position within medical warehouse operations (2015). Basically just pulling orders for hospital goods, and not paying that much at all! Because it was not paying very much, the last thing I expected was a hair test. So the next day after reading which test I would be subjected to, I called and told them I found employment elsewhere.Bottom line, you wont know which companies are executing which tests. If you looking for a job, especially a good one, just stay clean for 3 months.
What would you recommend to get my trucking career started?
Your in a pickle alright, especially if you were a teamster. Your days of getting paid like that are over for the time being. First you need to re-align what you consider the ideal job would be. You have already figured out that you can't get a job without experience and most good paying companies can afford to be pickier because they pay so well. So even after you get your two years your options are going to be less that ideal. Plus, if you get a union job for an LTL company your hours will be 24/7 on call. No schedule or set day's. This will take you through the next 5 to 10 years because the seniority list is so long and nobody ever quits. You have to wait for someone to die or retire, just to get on full time grave yard. I just spoke with a lady who has driven for AG for 15 years and she just got moved up to day shift. That's the truth about those good paying jobs. What you will have to apply for and possibly get is a job as a picker at a wharehouse, then maybe you can move into the yard as a hostler. Other than that, you will end up delivering furniture or mattresses riding along in a straight truck. You will only be a back up driver. If you do go over the road, the bigger companies are not as bad as the previous driver stated. There are pro's and con's on both side's of the coin when it comes to OTR companies. I worked for a smaller company for 8 years, it was great at first but then they start pressuring you to do runs, logging creatively to make it happen. They do this because they need to move freight and your the only driver in the area. The also would rather have you sit for 2 days and wait for a load than to pay for your fuel going somewhere empty. They streamline the moves, and your sitting around waiting for a load is of no concern with them. The larger companies move you, keep you moving. Plus when you want to sit you can. They have plenty of drivers. Another thing if you go OTR, your going to have to train for 4 to six weeks with a trainer. You already sound like you may have an attitude about being over the road, please try not to take it out on the guy who is training you. He is there to do a job, your doing exactly what he did and every other driver in this business had to do. Including me.
What kind of drug test does covenant transport use?
I agree with the previous two. If you need to be concerned, you do not belong in the trucking industry. I wouldn't want you to be driving an 80,000 pound vehicle "high" or impaired on anything.
What trucking companies hire truckers who were terminated for safety reasons (accident)?
If you’re terminated for safety reasons, then whatever you’re involved in is considered no accident. Assuming there was injuries, but not long term life altering, and a lawsuit where the “victim won, then it’s not the end of your career.You start applying at companies that you would have applied for as if nothing ever happened. You’re essentially going to have to see what the general attitude towards your record is. Things may not be as bad as you think. If this is your first real problem in an otherwise successful career, then companies may overlook a mistake.The flip side is that this was just one of many bad decisions in your career. If that is the case, then your options are limited to shady little companies that will put your career in further jeopardy. Unfortunately, you’ll have to spend a couple years doing grunt work to prove your worth again.Start applying, admit your mistake, and the most important thing to know is how to keep it from happening again. Looking back at your career, ask yourself, have I been an asset or a risk that made a mistake or rolled the dice one to many times.
What will truck drivers who lose work due to the adoption of driverless trucks end up doing? Will they be able to find other employment?
Driverless trucks will never be a threat.What company will want hundreds of thousands of their product unmanned on the open road. Truck breaksdown, and the freight is just sitting there up for grabs.If an accident happens, there is no one on site to make a case for the driverless vehicle.Have you seen the video of the self driving Uber running over and killing a person….There is really only 1 benefit to driverless trucks and that is that it coukd esentially always keep moving. There are a mountain of risks that will never be matched.Essentially you would have a 80,000 lb missle cruising the roads… do you really want have to be driving or sitting at home worrying about that?The only way to make it work safely, would be to have two people sitting in the cab and monitoring each trip.
Why do semi truck's have manual transmissions?
I am specifically talking about the big rigs, the 18 wheelers, tractor-trailer combinations. Do most trucking companies or truck drivers prefer manual over automatic transmissions? Is there anything that a driver or a trucking company would have against an automatic transmission? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a manual transmission? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having an automatic transmission? Are most semi trucks designed to work better with a manual transmission?
Can I work in two companies at the same time, from a contractual conflicts/dishonoring, taxes, laws, etc. point of view? I wish to work primarily at a big company, but also work as a technical consultant for a technology startup.
There is no legal limit on the number of salaried jobs you can hold. Company directors sometimes hold dozens. What may limit this is the contracts you have with each company.It's very common for a full-time employment contract to specify that you will not "undertake any other paid work" or a similar phrase. (It would be surprising for a part-time job to include that but you should still check the contract, just in case there's something that limits how many hours you can do paid work for someone else.)If you've agreed to anything like that at the consultancy job, you can't take the startup job without being in breach of contract, leaving yourself open to being sued and/or sacked without compensation.