Fitness for duty plan would pull millions from road

Why do drivers HAVE to take care of themselves?

What business it of yours or the governments?

We were all born with Mothers, we don't need another one.

 

Tell that to the government who is instituting all of these regulations....

They have to do this because a lot of us refuse to do it for ourselves.

It becomes my business because so many other drivers have so many health problems that it has caught the attention of the government.

Government rules ARE my business because I am beginning to understand the effects of apathetic attitude that most drivers take.

If more drivers would take care of themselves in the first place, we wouldn't have these regulations forced on us. That makes it YOUR business as well as any of 3 or 4 million CDL holders who have to follow the same rules you and I do.

Sorry to have to break the cold hard truth to you this way. Wake up and SEE the problem instead of ignoring or deflecting it.

 

And you don't think that the government deciding what anyone eats is a problem?

If somebody wants to eat a diet made up entirely of curly fries, so what?

Where does it stop? Are they going to put together a diet plan? And who exactly will be making the decisions about what constitutes "healthy" eating?

Again, I already have a Mother.

Personal freedom means I can eat whatever garbage I want.

 

Do you really think that if the gov't regulates t/s food that a driver won't find his Cheetos somewhere else?

It's not the gov'ts responsibility to monitor what we eat.. They have established health criteria to maintain your CDL. Whether a driver willfully or unwillfully is unable meet those criteria he loses his license.

There are several ways to maintain good health. If you can't do it with self discipline there is professional help available. If a driver isn't willing to help himself, too bad.. Find another line of work..

 

[QUOTE] Federal regulators don’t understand the stresses truck drivers are under, McElligott said, or the consequences of heaping on misguided regulations would have on small trucking companies. [/quote]Feds never understand anything because they are usually just a bunch of research rats with no experience in the field they are attempting to regulate.

This guy makes sense. It's a shame he will probably be ignored.

I understand why a diabetic coma while driving would be a problem. Is an insulin dependent diabetic a concern because the syringe disposal poses a hazmat issue? Many diabetics are not on insulin; but take a pill to help maintain their glucose levels. Would that be permissible?

• cardiovascular disease,
• High Blood Pressure is rampant in this country, especially among hispanics and blacks. I'm not being racist it's a fact. That said the average truck stop menu does nothing to help people who want to eat healthy. It is possible to be otherwise healthy and have high blood pressure. It can also be controlled via non-addictive medications.
• disrhythmias,
• Can be treated via CPAP or BiPAP or chronotherapy
• BMI has been proven to be an improper way of proving healthiness. According to BMI Lance Armstrong is unhealthy and needs to lose weight.
• Is a distinction made between street drugs and those prescribed by a doctor? Cause some benzos are used to treat PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Then again, I wouldn't want a heroin addict or someone addicted to Ativan driving 35 tons down the highway at 65 mph.
• renal disease,
• pulmonary disease,
• epilepsy,
• Not sure what this means; but I know there are drivers on this forum who use prosthetics and I have seen handicapped spaces for rigs at truckstops. Isn't it bad enough they lost a limb? Must they lose their job too?
• requirement for visual exemption (vision not meeting 20-40 after corrective lenses),
• , and How are they defining major? There is a Troops to Truckers program, some of those guys and gals probably have PTSD, depression, and/or anxiety issues as a result of their service. Are they eligible to drive a truck?
• I don't like this, it's way too vague and nebulous. It's like when a job description says, 'and other duties as assigned.'

Clearly I am on the side of the truckers however, I cringe everytime I hear of a trucker falling a sleep or having a heart attack behind the wheel and killing himself or others. No one wants unsafe drivers on the road. Yet, I think the list from that article is mighty stringent. Having just one thing on that list could cost a guy his job, his livelihood. IMO, that's not right. Many of these maladies can be treated with and w/o medication. In addition not all medications are addictive or have side effects which would hamper ones ability to operate any motor vehicle.
As for removing unhealthy food and snacks from truckstops...good luck with that. Whoever suggested that has no idea 4-wheelers often stop at these places too, with their families while traveling.

 

I hear what you are going for man. Many of the folks with the "**** that I'll eat what I want" attitude will be the first ones to scream foul when their choices render them unemployed. It is a tough one, balancing personal liberty/responsibility with protecting the general public from these lard azzes. Sad that most of the disqualifying conditions are food related.

 

Oh, I read what you posted and came away with you wanting the government to hold my hand and make sure I eat right. Another one calling for cradle-to-grave nanny state tactics.
If I want to eat a french-fried shetland pony, I'll do it. I didn't ask for your permission, nor the government's. If I lose my job because I can't pass the physical, that's my problem, not yours.

The whole "I'm fit, so I'm better than you." crap really chaps my hide, as does the "Let's get the gooberment to tell us what insert product here to use" garbage.

 

yeah, i just dont think that we need more government mandates against our rights as citizens.... if people want to eat themselves out of a job, then so be it.. i dont need uncle sam to start regulating how i eat... it starts in trucking and then before you know it, there is a new bill going through congress stating everyone has to abide by said law... i am not saying people couldnt stand to be healthier, i am saying we dont need to keep the socialistic trends going in this country... it is called the culling of the herd, darwinism in action, you are what you eat.......

 

Just what we need...more government regulations. Guess we should just disqualify all American and Canadian drivers then the Mexican trucks can haul all of our freight cheaper and safer. Habla espanol? Maybe to be a truck driver that will be the next regulation