Failed CDL due to Blood Sugar Levels... What do we do???

The DOT Waiver does not consider A1C. In fact, it requires the driver to stay within 100 mg/dl to 400 mg/dl. Anything outside that range requires action and the driver cannot drive until they are within that range again. Additionally, the driver must check their blood sugar levels every 2 to 4 hours while ON-DUTY and it must be logged, take yearly diabetes education courses, fill out quarterly and yearly forms for diabetes doctor, have eyes examined yearly, and complete a yearly renewal packet for the waiver.

It took the DOT 9 months to get my exemption approved. That does not include the time I needed to get the initial paperwork completed.

I was on the waiver for a short period of time. I had found a different job before I was approved and let it drop. The whole thing is an ordeal. I might re-apply soon if things don't improve at my current job.

Good luck!

 

My doctor told me that recently changed, but doctors vary it seems from state to state, even so some companies use their own guidelines sometimes exceeding the feds regs
.I'll try to find a link, & enter it later.
Don't know how up to date these other links are but...

videos/understanding-the-dot-physical
http://www.e-gears.com/cdl-training-videos/understanding-the-dot-physical
find info on each state..
http://fastertruck.com/pages/DOT-CDL-Physical-Exam-Drivers-Requirements.html
frequently asked questions
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/faq/Medical-Requirements
exemption program
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/medical/driver-medical-requirements/driver-exemption-programs

 

The variation rests with the different training centers out there. They may teach different things, and unfortunately they're not all on the same page.

 

At the end of the video, she says "contact your primary doctor if you have any questions about the D.O.T. physical." That's the only part of it I don't agree with. Primary doctors aren't aware of anything about the regulations in the D.O.T. physical which is why there are C.M.E.s doing the job. Also unfortunately, primary doctors are not always being cooperative with the CMEs which causes further delays in us being able to determine the status of your health as it affects your ability to perform your job without complications.

 

Something to keep in mind, though, the requirements for non-exempted is much different than those who are exempted. For example, the first day I was at Swift's training program near Memphis, TN, I came real close to being sent home the same day I arrived. My blood sugar was out of sorts from the long bus ride and being off schedule. I was told then that my blood sugar could not be higher than 200 mg/dl and the A1C had to be less than 8%. However, the exemption requirements are much different and seem to be more lenient to become exempted. On the flip-side, maintaining the exemption could become a problem for some.

 

thanks that's what I was told by the physician I went to as well. Searched on the web but couldn't find the same info, strange.

 

That was Swift's DOT Dr. telling me this. Gratefully, I was allowed to go back to the hotel and rectify myself. They gave me like 3 or 4 hours. When I got back, they tested me at 90 and were like, "Oh, that's too low". I was flabbergasted after hearing that! Fortunately, they let me through.

I had a good run in the 2 years I drove before my diabetes forced me out. I was put on a shuttle run which required me to drive about 45 minutes from where I lived to the meet point, then drive another 12 hours and another 45 minutes back home for 6 days a week. I moved myself closer to the meet point; however, it was too little too late. With the little time I had between shifts, I found myself eating out all the time just so I have a little extra time at home.

I keep telling myself that if anything changed to where I could drive again, I'd drop everything and go for it. I loved trucking. Where most folks look at it as work, it was a 24/7 camping trip for me.

 

I had a certified doctor who I was sent to by the company who turned me away, changed her mind on doing my physical. Some doc's have their own policies. some want more business so diagnose you with anything, agree?

 

Yes, there are quacks among us. I watched a video on Ebaum's World where a dentist was pulling more teeth than necessary. One poor soul had all of his teeth removed when only 2 or 3 were required. I felt sorry for the poor soul. Until he can get dentures, he won't live a normal life for a while.

 

Wow that is wrong! Radio station I was listening to had a author on saying the 3rd largest cause of death in America is from Doctor mistakes. Guess the best thing to always do for ourselves is to double check, even triple check before we become guinea pigs.