Physical, must use company doctor.

Drivers check their own trucks? When did this start?

 

I can spend 30 minutes on each hire figuring out if the doctor is actually DOT certified and the form is real (yes, drivers will forge them), or I can just run y'all thru the local clinic and be covered no matter what. Which do you think I want to do?

 

As I stated before. Don't put up with that CPAP sleep study crap. If you have sleep apnea and these machines help you my comment don't apply to you. These clinics and some carriers invested heavily in sleep labs and selling CPAPs. Then Congress got involved and stopped the FMCSA in regard to sleep apnea guidelines. Some of the clinics and carriers never got the message. If you are forced to undergo a sleep study and buy a CPAP just to work for a carrier WALK OUT!!!! There are thousands of job opportunities out there and many won't put you through that garbage.

 

Would you let someone you don't know pretrip your truck? Then have the same person tell you the load is secure, just go ahead and go, without checking it yourself?
Or
Would you Want to verify it yourself?

 

I broke my back 21 years ago. L2 & L3.
I had one physical where they took a 3 position x-ray of the lower spine.
The one vertebrae looks like someone took an ice cream scoop out of it.
Tha P.A. says " Looks like you're developing some arthritis there. Does it bother you?"

"No ma'am."
Passed.

Teamster physical when I did concrete was like trying out for NASA. They are done at an actual hospital with an emphasis on BMI.
That doctor even says they are trying to weed people out.

I've broken my back, both ankles, nose 3 times, wrist, have 3rd degree burns ( those are sometimes discovered ), on my form I have 0 ailments listed.

Perhaps if you can't pass one of these simple physicals, you don't belong in the truck to begin with.

 

Which carriers are trying to push sleep studies & CPAPs?

 

Who you trust or not is not the issue. All a physical does is check that you meet the standards to operate a CMV. If you feel this strongly about this issue then refuse to do the physical during orientation. If the carrier lets you by with it great. These physicals are NOT all done by Medical Doctors. They are done by Nurse Practitioners as well as Physician Assistants. It does not require a MD degree to do these physicals. If you have a chronic medical issue have YOUR physician write a letter detailing the history. I have stated my position on this sleep apnea crap but this applies all across the board. At some point however some form of sleep apnea guidelines are coming.

 

I must admit today my information is second handed. I hear though several times a month other drivers telling me they do. Because I don't want to post incorrect or incomplete information I am not going to post a carrier name, with one exception. I understand at least at one point Crete did.