Does dot look into your past medical history?

Fascinating. Let me say, you came to the right place. Years ago, we all had mental issues nobody talked about, some that make yours pale in comparison, and guess what? We all have millions of miles under our belts driving trucks. In a startling fact, many went into trucking BECAUSE we had issues. That's right. That was then, this is now, and your#1 enemy in all this, as mentioned, is insurance and liability. Clearly my advice is outdated, and I hang around just to see what's happening, and your situation is probably the most intense. According to what comes through here, driver wise, it scares the heck out of me, and I'd hire you in a minute. Your will to succeed convinces me. Sadly, that's not how it works. These ISOLATED bad drivers, usually from another country, unfairly picked on, make it seem truck drivers are these monsters, lawyers ready and waiting, when in fact, we don't hear about the folks like you that want and can do it. Might be some hoops, and people that have issues today, can be productive. We need you, best of luck. Like some may have said, honesty will get you a lot farther. I'm convinced our medical history is available to anyone that knows how to get it. Privacy, my aXX. We're all pretty much friends here, keep us posted, eh?

 

Tell me about it, but for the record, it wasn't a stroll in the park either, we just had different issues to contend with, and at the time, just as complicated. Equipment, roads, no communication, substance abuse, I know, you can thank my generation for all the problems today, but like I told an older woman at the grocery checkout about high prices. Younger folks will have nothing to compare it to, just the way it always was. The people that come through here sometimes, I can't believe the situations they are in, drugs, crime, murder,,,well, not that, but THEY seem to get jobs. I think you'll be fine.

 

No perfect answers because everyone gets depressed I would think and has some anxiety. It probably a good reason lots of people drive a truck to get away from all the BS. Could get class B and drive smaller truck and see how it goes. Could get class A and still drive smaller truck or something local. Concrete trucks and garbage truck requires class A. I don’t think those are alway very easy job working outside is not fun in heat or cold or rain or snow and you still dealing with people all day.

 

Let me see if I can make this easy to understand. Before you see the ME, you fill out the form provided. The ME and the FMCSA have no way to see any of your medical history NOT placed on this form. The only exception is if you do as I did for most of my career, using my family doc as my ME. The ME files a copy of that form and transmits basically the information you have been determined to meet the standards for a period of time. The ME does NOT send in any other medical information, at least this is what I remember, because it has been a while since I last read anything about this ever-changing process.


There is also a chronic myth out there that some medications are prohibited. This webpage is almost 9 years old and is still up.

What medications disqualify a CMV driver?

Answer:
A driver cannot take a controlled substance or prescription medication without a prescription from a licensed practitioner.
If a driver uses a drug identified in 21 CFR 1308.11 (391.42(b)(12)) or any other substance such as amphetamine, a narcotic, or any other habit forming drug, The driver is medically unqualified.

There is an exception: the prescribing doctor can write that the driver is safe to be a commercial driver while taking the medication. In this case, the Medical Examiner may, but does not have to certify the driver.

Any anti-seizure medication used for the prevention of seizures is disqualifying.

The Medical Examiner has 2 ways to determine if any medication a driver uses will adversely affect safe operation of a CMV:

Review each medication - prescription, non-prescription and supplement
Request a letter from the prescribing doctor
Last Updated : September 18, 2017

Unless you are taking meds to stop seizures, any other none schedue i medication is not prohibited. The FMCSA leaves it up to the ME to determine if you are safe to take said medication and drive. This is why it is so dang important to have the prescribing physician write a letter stating you are stable while taking the med. Then it is up to the ME to certify you. Now I am going to be honest. The average ME is not going to certify a driver to take some benzos and narcotics while driving. I'm not saying they won't, just that they most likely won't.

How does this affect substances tested in the DOT urine testing? The primary substance I am talking about is things like narcotic painkillers. Here is another common myth. If you are taking these meds and get called in for testing, having a legit prescription is going mean you and the MRO are going to have a discussion. The MRO might check, and again, they may not. There is no place on the chain of custody form to list meds, and the collectors are not part of this process. The ONLY way to legally operate a CMV while taking these substances is to be cleared by an ME. You risk a positive if you don't get an ME to sign off on it.

 

Um … here is something that no one is saying, if you have certain medical or mental issues, and you are given specific medications to treat this and to ensure you are stable, and you do not discuss stopping the meds with the treating physician, then the examiner can deny you a card without proper documentation clearing you to drive by the treating physician.

there are many meds that you have to decrease to stop, but also it has to be well documented.

in your case, without documentation and without you telling us what you really have, it could be a huge problem because cognitive behavioral and emotional stability matters and it is in the regs and the examiner’s handbook about the limitations on neurological disorders.

49 CFR 391.41(b)(9)

"Has no mental, nervous, organic, or functional disease or psychiatric disorder likely to interfere with his/her ability to drive a commercial motor vehicle safely."