Question: bipolar/manic-depression

Stevens will disqualify you at the starting gate. England is more lenient, though a personal physician (as in G.P.) won't cut it either--has to be a specialist in their field, e.g. Psychiatric Physician.

 

Just to add to my previous post, I have been testing the waters by applying to some of the less reputable trucking companies to see what happens when I bring up depression and medication issues. A Covenant recruiter I have been e-mailing back and forth said she got safety to sign off on medication I'm taking but I have yet to hear back from her on the issue of a depression diagnosis. I doubt I will hear back from Covenant due to this.

 

So you actually talked to someone at FMCSA? there is no waiver meaning you are disqualified or it's up to the examiner, right?

 

this is where the medical advisory criteria leave it up to the discretion of the examiner then. Luck of the draw. If you get an examiner who is up on his stuff he may pass you or he may not depending on how deep he wants to pursue it.

 

Dude, I knew a guy who had serious problems just for having depression a couple years before. It was at Stevens, they sent him home. He had been of meds for over a year. The doctor still wanted a written letter stating he was ok to drive and that he no longer needed meds. I would say there is no way in the world you would be able to be a trucker with bi-polar and depression. I wouldn't even waste your time trying to get into trucking. Even if you miraculously passed the DOT physical, the next time around, they would certainly give you trouble.
If you don't believe me, look at the fmcsa website:

FMCSA - Medical Program - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

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;

The above quote from fmcsa is what will cause you great trouble in passing a physical....

 

I tried to paste some stuff in here but it wouldn't work for some unknown reason. Oh well, I tried...

 

I've been watching this thread, and wanted to see if anyone would nail the issues down. Here's what all this boils down to, and I am using my personal experience as a guide.

A "waiver", in it's pure form, can only be issued by the FMCSA. They are the only one that can say, "the rules are bypassed for you". But, the condition that at least two describe that they have does not warrant a waiver. There is no waiver, because a Physician can make the determination without one.

A clinical diagnosis or bi-polar disorder does not prevent you from driving a commercial vehicle, in and of itself. Certain medications WILL prevent you from being medically cleared, if they are used to treat disorders.

The best chance of this NOT being an issue or a problem, is only going to be in a case where the person is and has been under the care of a personal physician, who has had consistent and regular oversight of the person's condition and medications.

To understand what I will be referring to below, here's a view of the currently used DOT Physical Examination form:

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/safetyprograms/Medical-Report.pdf

The basic medical criteria is right there on the form. Print it out and discuss this with your personal Physician as soon as possible.

You must report the condition on the patients area of the DOT Physical Examination form on the "nervous or psychiatric disorders, e.g. severe depression" line. This will not disqualify you. Below that line, you will be asked to report all medications you are taking in response to treat the disorder.

Now what will happen FIRST when the Physician steps into the room to do his part of the examination, will be to go over any and all items checked "yes" in that section. He may ask about specific doses of medications that you are on, how long you have been on them, and other questions about those items checked "yes".

If everything else goes well on the rest of the examination, the Physician will likely offer you a form to have your personal physician fill out in regard to your condition, the medications, and will want him/her to sign that he understands the medical criteria for Commercial drivers, and to certify that you are qualified to drive and perform safety sensitive duties of the job as a commercial vehicle driver.

If you are seeing a personal Physician that is already familiar with the criteria, and who has been treating you for at least a year for the disorder, he or she may have one of the forms on hand to fill out, if they are okay with offering their endorsement that you are fine as far as they are concerned, PRIOR to you reporting to the company's Physician. Doing so will probably net instant approval. They may want to verify the form to make sure it has not been forged or manufactured, and will most certainly ask you for all contact information of your personal Physician, so be ready to provide immediately upon request;

The nature of your disorder;

The EXACT medications, dose quantities, and the number of times per day you take them;

Your personal Physician's name, complete address, phone number, and phone number.

I personally keep copies of all my medical records and submit them to any new Physician that I see in the course of taking a DOT Examination. It saves time, and it allows them to be more comfortable in understanding what they are dealing with. I have slightly elevated blood pressue, and I am diabetic, and on anti-depressants. So I keep the company Physician updated each time I see my personal Physician, and fax him a copy of everything they write up on me, and copies of all my labs as well.

And because I have changed Physicians a few times over the past few years, due to the death of one, another closing his practice, and another that I despised, I make them give me copies of my medical records EVERY time I see them. I keep them in a filing cabinet, and copy for myself as needed. It's saved me a great deal of trouble over the last few years, because it's all there in black and white.

Just like my advice regarding many other aspects of the job, honesty and being up-front, and supporting potential negative issues with documentation in the same manner, allows people in charge with approving or not approving your qualifications to do the job, will work in your favor every time. The one and only time I failed to qualify, was when I failed to do the above.

No Doctor, who sees you for the first time and for only a few minutes, can make a reasonable determination that you are qualified, and not many that I have ever encountered will pass someone with questionable issues, that are not clarified. It's getting tougher by the day to be passed, without the driver providing documentable proof that your questionable issues are completely under control.

When you have a medical issue, you must have see a Physician on a regular basis, who can document your condition and treatment, and who can certify that your condition is under control. Without that, expect to be disqualified.

 

I'm currently in driving school and should have my CDL in about 3 weeks. I'm taking anti-depressants (Klonopin and Lexapro) and Ambien. Am i already shot out of the saddle?