FMCSA considers CDLs for hearing impaired

I agree with you here but if their going to change the rule they should say what the decibels should be and as long .that person has it corrected with the proper aid then let them drive not much different with some people needing glasses to drive. Been driving trucks 4 yrs now with hearing aids also have my Lic for motorcycle too and yes i read some wheres that thier was a guy that was blind flying choppers. Beside we have people out thier driving that don't have any handicap and can't drive how they get is beyond me. That's all i have to say it .

 

I can hear an siren coming even a chopper before i see it with my hearing aids. i also saw a person with 1 arm drive a truck using a hook arm

 

I think the whole FMCSA thing involves people who are totally deaf. There is no limit that I know of for people who have corrected hearing via hearing aids.
The question is: Is it safe to operate a commercial motor vehicle if you are deaf or if your hearing cannot be brought up to minimum standards via devices.
We don't allow commerical pilots that fail the hearing standards because they have so many lives in their hands. But a truck driver can potentially be a danger to more lives in one hour than a pilot will be in an entire year.
One of the things I fear by allowing deaf people to drive is the modifications an employer may be required to do to a truck to accomodate a person with a disability. (The ADA requirements).
Perhaps they will be safe enough if the truck is equipped with digital monitors on both sides and the rear? Or flashing lights much like the emergency fire alarm lights in public buildings that would indicate a siren is within hearing distance?
TTY communication devices to contact dispatch, shippers, receivers?
This could open a whole can of worms.

 

Comparing a truck driver to a commercial pilot for hearing is a joke.

The pilot has to communicate with the ground control to land, take off and everything else.

Just who does the truck driver have to communicate with?
There is no rule for a CB in the truck, so it don't float.

 

A truck driver has the potential to be exposed to much more danger than the average person.
For instance, in industrial applications, forklifts often have back up alarms to warn you of it's movement. Same for Backhoes and all kinds of equipment, not to mention trucks themselves.
While a deaf person will be much more in tune with their environment, there is a greater danger due to being put in these types of environments that they are not usually around.
Communications may be an issue such as at receivers and shippers. We've all been to those places where communications may first be thru a squak box. Such as the gate intercom. Or the reciever behind the glass that speaks thru the funky metal grate. They often are looking down as they speak. Makes reading lips real hard.
Do we suddenly make all the shippers receivers, etc install devices to accomodate a deaf driver?
Laugh, will you?
look at bathroom requirements for the wheelchair bound.
I had an industrial building where we remodeled. Had two ADA bathrooms available 7/24. Wanted to install another set of bathrooms (for convenience), but they are required to be ADA compliant as well, even tho any potential customer or employee would have the access to the first set.
I used the pilot analogy only to point out the safety concerns involving day to day lives.
We are alerted to dangerous situations all day long by our hearing. In many environments, ie an office, where a hearing impared person can function quite satisfactorily. But do we feel it's safe to put them behind 40,000, 60,000, 80,000 pounds or more and drive in all the places they may be required?
What about the cost to retrofit a tractor to accomodate their special needs?
I think the whole question should be carefully thought thru before any decision is made, but I'm afraid this will be usual political correctness and we all get screwed.

 

Your hearing isn't that impaired . The FMCSA has not problem with people using hearing aids having CDL's . Apparently this isn't good enough for the NAD . They want exemptions for totally deaf people . That's unreasonable . Changes should be made in regulations only if the change will improve safety . That is certainly not the case here .

 

Have you never been to a customer where they have a CB channel to communicate with drivers ? I can just picture some guards being really willing to walk out to a deaf driver's truck and write him notes or use sign language .
How many times have you avoided delays or been made aware of road hazards ahead when there was poor visibility because of CB warnings ? No , it isn't necessary to communicate on the CB but it sure makes life easier and safer .
Last December I spent 3 days in the Customs parking lot at Sarnia , Ontario because I heard CB reports of whiteouts and potential road closures ahead . Drivers that didn't have CB's or ignored the warnings spent that night stuck on a closed highway , were forced to leave their trucks and taken by helicopter or snowmobile to a shelter the following day , and the next day had their trucks towed from the highway to a staging area . http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/906577--airlift-rescue-begins-on-snowbound-highway-near-sarnia

 

Many times. I just tell them I have no cb and give them my phone number.

The last company truck would not idle and radio only worked when truck was running.

Even so I rarely have the cb on and do not see the issue. So much garbage on it.

 

A truck driver has to communicate with shippers and receivers on a daily basis, many times using an intercom or telephone receiver. Very often our 'check-in' procedure involves going to the 'guard house' and picking up a receiver which is connected to the offices inside. Can't hear = can't check-in for appointment. The shippers/receivers should not have to change their system to accomodate a small number of drivers. Get a profession that does not rely on your sense of hearing.

 

Let's see, the logic with giving your cell number, a deaf person still won't be able to hear on the cell phone. Should we require the shippers/receivers to send a text message?? Plus most Wal-mart D.C.s and a lot of others are beginning to use the little devices that buzz when they are finished with you, can't hear that either.