Do They Check Your Medical Records?

Due to the very restrictive privacy laws around healthcare, your doctor can NOT release info about you WITHOUT your express permission but that's not to say a company will hire you if you don't give that permission.
I know that is not really a good answer but that is how it works. A company can demand a lot of crazy things from you and if you want to work there, you may have to comply with their requests.
That being said, I have never had any company ask me to release health info from my doctor! I just had to pass a physical.
Hope that helps.

 

It's basically all a big farce, to an extent

You can be ready to die in the next 3 months, but still qualify to drive a truck.......

 

I have a feeling that soon medical records will be able to be accesed. There has been a push from the president to get everyones records into a central data base. Around here every doctor and hospital tries to get you to scan your palm before seeing you. I always refuse.

 

But really only so hospitals, etc. can share your information amongst themselves. I seriously doubt that anytime soon employers will have access to your medical records or information without your express permission.

So basically the answer to your question is no. If some employer demanded access to your medical records as a prereq for employment you would have a field day if you denied and then weren't hired as a result.

 

You might want to look at some of the most recent Medical Review Board recommendations. IIRC, They have recommended and national clearinghouse or standardized database for any MD that performs DOT physicals. As a part of the recommendation is a SHARING of driver health information. The point of this is to stop the "doctor shopping" that goes on when drivers know they can't pass a physical but desire to keep working.
They, unfortunately, will get away with this as driving a truck is not a right, but a privilege. I agree with that logic, but it is also a privilege TO DRIVE ANY VEHICLE! Why are truckers the only ones being held to these strict standards when we are, statistically, the safest drivers on the road??? We are not the problem.
Statistically speaking, out of 100 accidents that INVOLVE big trucks (I don't know what percentage of all accidents that no big trucks are even involved!) OVER 2/3 OF THEM ARE PROVEN TO NOT BE THE FAULT OF THE TRUCK DRIVER!!! YET WE GET HAMMERED EVERY TIME A NEW LAW IS PASSED!
why???
Because the general public would not stand to be treated the way truckers are, most of the public hates trucks/truckdrivers, lawmakers view us as easy targets for votes and revenue, and we are, as a group, are a non-voting, silent, do-nothing group of poorly unorganized malcontents that can't/don't /want to work. (Public perception, not mine!!!)
So we get the shaft 99 times out of 100!
Sorry for the rant! Feel free to ignore the crazy ramblings anytime now.

 

I don't see a problem with all doctors that perform DOT physicals having access to a shared database of medical records. If you can pass the test regardless of what conditions/medications/etc. you might have then that seems like the bottom line. If you can't pass it at one doctor you shouldn't be able to pass it at any doctor.

I doubt any doctor is going to say "well I see you take medication X for condition Y, which doesn't seem to be an issue at this time, but I think it might get worse in the future, so I just won't pass you now."

I think the general idea is that if someone is unfit to drive a regular vehicle and that causes them to be involved in an accident, the damage they cause will be (in general) much less than someone driving a truck under the same circumstances. I really wish I could find some hard stats to back this up but I don't think anyone will really disagree.

I totally agree with you in that there are PLENTY of people out there that medically shouldn't be driving any vehicle. I think people should have to retest (both medically and driving test) every few years to maintain their license.

 

Do you actually desire more government intervention in your life?

 

I understand what you're saying and i can agree with you to a point. But if truck driving is all you know how to do you and all you are qualified to do, if you are faced with losing your job and are unable to provide for your family any other way, you might feel a little different! I don't know how old you are, or what your health is like but i use to feel the same way you do when i first started driving. Now i suffer from a condition that is the d o t doctor knew about it, i would the out of trucking forever. Bear in mind i have had this condition for 12 years. It looks like well obviously i can still do the job in spite of this "disqualifying condition".
That is 1 of the problems with the so called standards. ( Don't even get me started on body mass index)
How am i going to explain it to my wife and 3 kids that live in home and all the bill collectors well i can't work anymore??? All because some #### made a decision with no basis in reality !
What's worse is i probably won't qualify for disability. Obviously i'm not disabled. I can drive a truck over the road. I'm ###### if i do and ###### if i don't.
Put yourself in my shoes what do you do??? I'll tell you when i'm going to do: i'm going to continue driving a truck as long as i can get away with it! I don't mean running over hours, overweight, or going down the road like some idiot. Until the system catches up with me and they refuse 2 issue me a medical card, and I can still drive safely, I will keep on trucking because I have no other options!
Let's face it in today's economy, even if i could afford to go back to school and learn some other profession, who the hell is gonna hire someone in their forties, when they can hire someone half my age that is just as qualified as i am???

 

Particularly when that young 20 something year old kid will likely work for a lot less. Many don't yet have kids, or own a home etc. and can afford to take an entry level position more easily than some of us older folks.