Revised DOT Physicals Still Flawed, Critics Say

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img src="/sites/default/files/images/articles/printeditiontag_new.gif" width=120 align=right>Recent revisions to the Department of Transportation’s physical examination process failed to completely close the gate on medically unqualified truck drivers, according to several physicians who work in the transportation field.

“The current method of driver certification does not necessarily present a barrier to certification of the medically unfit driver,” said Dr. Mitchell Garber, a medical officer for the National Transportation Safety Board. “The system requires top-to-bottom review and a complete, new look at how things are being done. We have asked the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to do this. We didn’t ask them to revise the existing program.”

In November 2001, FMCSA issued a revised medical form designed to give more direction to examining personnel while being easier for the driver to fill out.

Among the changes, the first since medical qualification became law for commercial drivers in 1940, is a requirement that the examining officer review all “yes” answers about the driver’s medical history. The new form also carries a statement to be signed by both the driver and the examiner, affirming that “the information provided is complete and true.”

For the full story, see the Feb. 3 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.