Howdy folks!
Long time, no see. On my last adventure I was back at Schneider after tending to family matters.
Somewhere along the way I ended up with COPD-like issues after having Covid. Coughed so hard one night that I had to park on the side of the road after almost passing out. I went too far over and got stuck, needing assistance. I called the sitrep in and started the process of getting help. Started coughing heavily again while the IL State Trooper was there. The trooper began the usual inspection of myself, my rig, and my logs. (I was on-duty for about 1.5 hours before the incident.) I was cleared, and did not receive any tickets. I had no diagnosis of any COPD before that.
Unfortunately Schneider didn’t see it that way. The Walmart Dedicated safety officer looked at the photos and how straight I parked (although too far over in the mud) and he said “the position of your rig is what I see when people fall asleep at the wheel.” ??? I figured someone sleeping would have been crooked and/or turned over/hit another vehicle. Although cleared of any wrong doing by law enforcement investigation, needless to say I was terminated for safety.
Since then I’ve had an official diagnosis of “very mild COPD.” I take Fluticasone powder twice a day to control the symptoms. I really hope to drive again someday, but I don’t have my hopes up. My pulmonologist will approve me driving so long as I keep inhaling the Fluticasone as prescribed.
The point of the story – long Covid sucks. If you’ve had Covid and experience more coughing than usual, go see your primary care. I likely don’t have a chance to go back to Schneider, but perhaps another carrier will allow me to drive.
Take Care,
Dean
