Our trucking accident attorneys recognize the importance of ensuring that commercial truck drivers are medically fit to operate tractor-trailers, which can weigh as much as 25 times more than a passenger car. While federal law has long required medical certificates confirming that a truck driver is medically fit as a condition of keeping a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), this safety requirement offered limited comfort until recently because no significant standards were imposed for who could sign off on the driver’s fitness. However, changes in recent times by federal regulators to impose standards on who can certify a commercial driver as medically fit promise safer Mississippi roadways.

The benefits of this change in trucking safety regulations are worth revisiting because of the potential impact on roadway safety. Until the recent change, drivers could seek medical certification from virtually any individual within the medical field including a nurse practitioner or chiropractor. Further, there were no standards in terms of how the examination should be conducted nor what types of impairments or conditions would be found to disqualify a truck driver.

A 2008 congressional investigation revealed the even more troubling finding that a third of all medical certificates reviewed by law enforcement during vehicle stops could not be confirmed as authentic or accurate. The person who signed off on the inspection either did not exist or would not confirm ever conducting an examination. The process was so informal that there was nothing to prevent truck drivers from copying the name, contact information, and medical license number of a doctor off the web to falsify the form. Since the forms were rarely verified, truck drivers could engage in this form of fraud with little risk of being detected.

The danger posed by having a truck driver on the road who suffers from a serious medical condition can hardly be understated. Because of the average age of truck drivers and the amount of time they spend engaged in the sedentary activity of driving, there is a high prevalence of obesity-related health conditions in the trucking industry, such as sleep apnea and diabetes, which can render a truck driver unconscious. A University of Pennsylvania study found that 28 percent of truck drivers suffer from sleep apnea. The seriousness of the problem was revealed by the fact that the congressional investigation referenced above found that 560,000 truck drivers were receiving full medical disability benefits.

Prior to the changes, there was no electronic data base where the certificates could be reviewed, so law enforcement officers were required to rely on paper forms produced by the truck driver. The lack of a computerized system left law enforcement officers without a way to verify that the medical certification was valid. Even if an officer attempted to contact the doctor who signed the certificate, medical privacy laws prevented the medical professional from disclosing information about the driver’s medical condition without a signed waiver.

Fortunately, changes have targeted medically unfit truck drivers. In December 2008, a federal law was passed requiring all states to merge medical certificates and commercial driver’s licenses into a single electronic record for each driver, but states were given three years to comply with this requirement.

Arguably, the most significant change was implemented in May of 2014 when drivers were compelled to have their medical examination performed by a qualified health professional listed with the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. The law imposed standards for training and testing of medical professionals seeking to qualify for the registry. The US DOT medical examination was also defined to include health conditions that affect driver safety-related to respiratory and muscular functions, vision, hearing, and cardiovascular disease. Because the prospect of an 80,000 pound tractor-trailer combination being driven by a medically compromised driver is a terrifying prospect, these changes are generally welcomed by the commercial trucking safety.

If you have been injured in a tractor-trailer accident in Jacksonville or the surrounding areas, our Mississippi Trucking Accident Lawyers have successfully represented many big-rig collision victims in obtaining compensation for their injuries. At Barrett Law, we are here to help. Contact our firm today at 800-707-9577 to schedule your free consultation, so we can answer any questions you may have regarding filing your claim.