08-09-2019, 10:11 PM
I hate all government intrusion, but it seems to be the nature of the beast these days. When I first got into road construction, all I needed was a chauffeurs license to drive a semi truck, go to the nearest explosive supplier, sign a piece of paper, back up my open top pickup and fill it with dynamite, anfo, det cord, blasting caps and 4 plac cards. Off to the rod job in the woods I merrily went. Then I had to pass a CDL test with a triple and water tanker endorsements,, go to blasting school, take a test to get certified. Getting explosives to the job site is a whole other can of worms today, so I let others do it if needed. I had to pass a water operators test, and pass a back ground test so I could take water samples for my rentals, which required me to re-learn my calculus from high school and many, many days of study. I had to get finger printed, pass a back ground check and pass a hazardous materials test for my endorsement on my CDL so I could hall fuel to my job sight. Most of these requirements are excessive in my opinion, but I did learn a lot from these classes. Fire training endorsements, first aid training, drug test, physical fitness test, etc,etc,etc are all now mandated for all of my employment requirements. Getting firearm training, and back ground test doesn't seem like too hard of a burden to me considering all things involved .