The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has published a final rule which will help those drivers with insulin-treated diabetes to be able to eliminate a significant amount of paperwork and save them a good chunk of money every year.
The rule amends the qualifications necessary for drivers with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (ITDM). Currently, drivers with ITDM could not operate CMVs interstate without an exemption from the FMCSA. Processing that exemption could often take up to 6 months and cost hundreds of dollars.
With the new rule however, drivers with ITDM will now be able to get clearance from their certified medical examiner once a year. This move will not only save drivers an estimated $5 million per year and their carriers around $215,000 per year in compliance costs, it will also same the FMCSA $1 million per year in administrative costs.
“This final action delivers economic savings to affected drivers and our agency, and streamlines processes by eliminating unnecessary regulatory burdens and redundancy,” said FMCSA Administrator Ray Martinez. “It’s a win-win for all parties involved.”
Tom says
That’s all well and good that drivers using insulin to keep their blood sugar under control will save time and money. What happens when dispatch pushes so hard that the driver skips a meal and goes into hypoglycemia? As a diabetic, I don’t think this is a good idea.
Tim says
Tom I agree with you. I am diabetic also but type 2. it was getting so i had to jump thru so many hoops.
Supertrucking says
That’s one of the biggest problems in this industry, blaming someone else. Take responsibility for your own actions. A dispatcher is not driving the truck.
Allen says
Blame the dispatch because you forgot to bring your grapes. When they pee their pants, yep, the dispatch.
Donald Roe says
Well the driver needs to have enough responsibility to know how hard to be pushed I drove for fifty years and never did get pushed so hard that I couldn’t take a break to sleep and eat
Heather T Williams says
To me it’s the driver responsibly to let his or her dispatch know there limits.
morongobill says
When they fill up the body bags after a diabetic event, I doubt the survivors will care that the guy had a signed off medical certificate.
Mike Daughtry says
One does not need something to hide in order to be afraid of Slander, Libel, or persecution.
Jude says
When will these same restrictions and requirements, including a physical exam at least every two years, apply to four wheelers, too? Trucks aren’t the only vehicles on the highway. How many cars are being driven by Type 1 Diabetics, people with medical problems like epilepsy or being 200 pounds overweight, or high blood pressure that blows the top off the cuff every time it gets checked?
Ed Martin says
Insulin dependent or close to becoming one Type II drivers have been hoping for this. Glad to see it finally happen.