28 Visually Impaired Truckers Allowed to Drive Nationwide
Twenty-eight drivers with disabilities in one eye have been allowed to drive trucks on interstate highways, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced July 19.
The truckers do not meet federal vision requirements in one eye, but they provided FMCSA sufficient medical and performance information to demonstrate an ability to drive commercially on the interstates, officials said. The applicants met testing requirements in their states of residence. They also demonstrated an ability to drive commercial motor vehicles with their vision disabilities, according to FMCSA.
The drivers’ conditions ranged from age-related macular degeneration, amblyopia and complete loss of vision, to corneal scar, embryonic cataract and optic nerve damage.
“All the applicants achieved a record of safety while driving with their vision impairment, demonstrating the likelihood that they have adapted their driving skills to accommodate their condition,” the agency wrote in a Federal Register notice published July 25.
The two-year federal vision waivers will expire Feb. 12, 2018.
