How disabled can you be? Any specific rules on pain meds?

I believe everyone may possibly be forgetting one thing the DOT physical. With the new requirements you have to be able to do squats X 3 plus bend over and touch the ground with both hands in order to pass. With my legs and knees being messed up I am having issues passing the physical this time. No DOT medical card , no CDL. I 'm impressed your thought of attempting it but I can truly say I don't think truckings
for you.

 

You might be able to pass the DOT physical. Yet here is my concern. What is your ability to climb into a truck? Some of the docks require you to set the trailer at one location AND then walk upto 2000 feet away with climbing stairs to get to an office for the paper work. Also a truck driver is expected to inspect the truck. This means you must be able to open the hood of the truck. My wife at 4 foot 11 was not able to do it even after I showed her how to use her body to help pull it open. Also during the pre/post trip you are expected (might be 8x a day for this) to be able to crouch and get under the trailer to inspect the jaw of the fifth wheel for cracks. As well as bending at the waist to inspect the drive tires and trailer tandems. Then there is also the occaisional requirement that you will be required to climb ftom the ground to the load surface of either in a box or the deck of a flat bed as well as if hauling a tanker to climb the ladder to inspect the lid.

This job does have physical requirements. Drugs require a doctors note that states you are not impaired with the medication. It doesnt matter what you say. With out the note, any company will not talk to you after they hear what meds you are on. They will kick you to the curb for an omission of that nature and it may be a $150 out of your pocket to get home.

 

Specific to the DOT physical and ignoring the other concerns.

Note that while FMCSA medical examiners aren't required to follow this handbook, it does provide their guidance.

FMCSA Medical Examiner Handbook

Also note this FAQ.

What medications disqualify a CMV driver?

Any Schedule I drug or a drug listed will be a barrier unless there is an exemption or if you can convince a medical professional that it is still safe.

PART 1308 - Section 1308.11 Schedule I

Note that in the above quoted text, many pain killers will be based on “opioids” and thus "narcotics". This means that both your prescribing doctor and the DOT medical examiner will need to be convinced that the medication will be safe for a driver "while taking the medication".

I personally have have severe opioid-induced nausea which limits my ability to even comment on the impact as I would be unsafe. But it is important to realize that the DOT medical examiner will be considering the medications impact assuming you will be driving while taking the medication.

Outside of exceptions like requiring you to wear corrective lenses while driving a DOT medical examiner does not have an ability to restrict your driving based on medical needs. Thus they couldn't say "You are approved if you don't drive for 48 hours after taking your medication". Thus they have to assume that they are judging the risk of you driving while taking that medication.

The question you have to ask yourself is how realistic is it that you can convince your doctor and the DOT medical examiner that you are safe to drive? There are several threads on here from panicked drivers who weren't told or didn't understand that the standard is that the driver is safe to be a commercial driver while taking the medication or risk losing their DOT physical.

I would take time to consider those implications before signing up.

 

Dont waste your time pursuing a trucking career. Theirs a reason why you dont see handicap tags on an 18 wheeler.

 

False. Maybe certain pain medications are verboten, but one of the medications I'm on for my Asperger's is a schedule 2 narcotic. I have to get 1 year med cards becaus of it, and my prescribing physician has to write a letter for the DOT doc every single year to state that the medication does not impair my ability to drive, but at the end of the day I'm a current driver with a legally prescribed narcotic in the cab. CHP has seen my med card with that medication name on it, and they said nothing. Current employers say nothing about it, and accommodate my needs to be home every so often to refill that med (I still have to rely on the state Medicaid for my medications, so I have to at least get into WA in order to afford them) and to occasionally pick up new scripts for it

 

Well you know what they say....It's a hella lot easy getting in the cab than getting out. You old timers know what I'm talking about.

 

TRUE.

Evidence. You are using a loophole via a letter from a prescribing doctor to keep otherwise disqualifying drugs on you and with a CMV. Narcotics is still disqualifying.

If you ever get into a accident with injury or death BOTH you and your certifying doctor is going to be shined a very big bright intense investigation....

What medications disqualify a CMV driver?

 

It is not a "loophole" it is a intentional part of the legislation targeted at valid uses that do not pose a danger.

49 CFR § 391.41 - Physical qualifications for drivers.

Here is one such study, which does point out concerns with chronic opioid therapy, but does not exclude all potential uses.

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/docs/MEP Report Draft_22 August 2014(c).pdf

If you read more they will say there is weak evidence that needs more study to show that "There is limited evidence that impairment resulting from stable opioid use diminishes over time. However, the studies that examined this issue failed to establish a safe level of use at the level of the individual"

While it is quite common for the government agencies to do blanket bans, teh FMCSA has so far been much better about deferring to an individual's doctor.

Here is the form that they provide to send to a prescribing doctor.

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmc...9141-cmv-driver-medication-form-mcsa-5895.pdf

It is when you hide the truth that random and post accident drug tests become more risky.

 

My pain clinic would be a ultra conservative and refuse to sign such a letter. They also have other policies to refuse certain medicines in other families to support a patient because of interactions with narcotics and present a risk of being investigated by the state. They protect their medical license first above anything. I have been more than good with this group and I could probably in a different time get a letter like that because driving is not really a problem on these medicines. However we are in a war on opiates and there are just too many people captured for DUI in this state. In the last 18 months alone 148 arrests were made as legitimate pain patients were cut off from narcotics due to diversion sales and abuse plus addiction etc. then they tried to get more from elderly or illegal drugs via UC police officers playing sting in churches etc. One patient offered 100 pills at 10 dollars each turning into a thousand dollar illegal sale because he was short on his disability. Well guess what, he gets sit in prision with no disability at all plus a known history branding him as a diverter and seller of narcotics.

Also as of Jan 1 2018, narcotics is added to the standard 5 panel test, everything from Norco all the way up to Oxycodone. About 7 specific drugs. That will fail a CDL DOT Drug test today as a hot positive if your MRO cannot accept that doctors letter as shown in the PDF as the legitimate loophole to not having drugs in a driver while around big trucks.

Now what about the effects of drugs? Well. People react differently to drugs. When they gave me Diladuad in IV last year It took away the bone break pain but did not affect me mentally, however it definately affected me anyway in the brain, how does it? Fall risk. And 6 hours later when it left my system, I was in a light seizure situation due to severe withdrawal that was life threatening to the heart and so forth. They were able to stop it with a emergency IV push of two other drugs non narcotic. Otherwise it becomes a seizure code officially and it will be decided very quickly in a few minutes. And that definately will take away the CDL if the person had that diagnosis imposed on them.

The body builds up tolerance over time. If A normal person of the same weight and height who does not have any history of narcotics took my Oxycodone at the doses they were giving me with it, it will reduce them to a hazed out, nodding off, drooling mess in about 20 minutes. If they were eating dinner, you will see them nod off and put the face into the dinner plate. (You laugh, but that has happened a couple of times in the past with me over dinner years ago) plop. Passed out.

IF that was at 70 mph with a 40 ton flying dutchman in the rush hour you are going to take out 30 to 50 vehicles before you get stopped hitting something. As happened to a drunkerd trucker up in Camp Hill last year. He took out 20 cars never stopped Killed a number and that was from drinking.

Drinking and drugs depress the nervous system and puts you to a sedated mode. I cannot think of anything that sedates someone can be possibly be safe in a CMV.

I hate to be difficult but if it was my clinic no one will ever see a letter like that.

But like someone says, there are ways around rules and laws via loopholes. So if you choose to continue that hazed painfree driving, have at it. But I choose to say that is a dangerous position to be in in life.

 

Just move to Canada. Stare at an eye chart, check your blood pressure, smack your knee with a hammer. Sign on the dotted line and pay your $90 lol.