Trying to get back my CDL after med card lapse

21 CFR 1308.11 and 49 CFR 391.41(b)(12)

I believe that that rule or section in the law. You can try look for the list. It depends if something is on controlled substances list. It hard to find the actual list the DOT doctors use. It probably out here somewhere on the internet but I’m not sure were.

 

First off, take a look at this LINK. The medications found in 21 CFR 1308.11 are DEA Schedule i drugs that have NO official medical use and generally are prohibited for anybody to have them. So any legally prescribed drug is NOT on that list. Now we come to this section! "or any other substance such as amphetamine, a narcotic, or any other habit forming drug, The driver is medically unqualified." Now look at the next section.

There is an exception: the prescribing doctor can write that the driver is safe to be a commercial driver while taking the medication. In this case, the Medical Examiner may, but does not have to certify the driver.

The final decision is up to the medical examiner who performs the physical. This person should adhere to the official FMCSA guidance. If you can get an examiner to OK taking a medication, you are OK to drive.

Now we come to the ONLY place where the FMCSA prohibits a legal non-schedule i medication. "Any anti-seizure medication used for the prevention of seizures is disqualifying." This part should be per se nota to most folks.

Yes, I know the carrier has to be OK with it as well. @Texas trucker gal, I highly recommend you get the prescribing provider to state in a letter that you are stable. Outside of this, I have nothing further to add.

 

aripiprazole (ability) isn’t a controlled substance.

First hurdle, OP just needs the prescribing Dr to clear her to drive (accept liability).

Second hurdle, get a DOT Dr/Chiropractor to clear her with a medical certificate. This may be the hardest part because there’s some side effects that don’t mix well with trucking.

I imagine Swift uses their own Dr for certification? Regardless, Swift or any other carrier will have the final say…

In short, it’s not a banned substance and I bet more than one driver is taking it. It just may become a small pia getting certified and hired on.

 

Good info above. I wonder if it might me easier to talk your doctor prescribing the medication in question to filling out the DOT medical exam paperwork than it would be to get a doctor/nurse who normally does DOT medical exams to agree with your current doctor's letter saying "everything will be fine if this driver uses the medicine and drives a truck? I hope I what I'm saying is clear. "There's more than one way to skin a cat", as they say.

 

Doctors can do so much but it is up to the patient to watch themselves and any changes in side effects happen, they have to mitigate them.

I just let a driver go; he was using Abilify for a couple of years, never had any side effects at all. One night he had a seizure and thank God there was another driver behind him when he came to a stop, the other driver called 911 and he ended up in the hospital at 2am. I talked to my driver an hour before and he was telling me he was going to take a day or two off because he wasn't feeling well. I just told another driver to go check on him and had a driver fly out there to pick up the truck and drive him home if he needed to. It was the Abilify that he was using that was being rejected by his body.

 

Yes, Abilify (aripiprazole) can interfere with driving, and manufacturer warnings advise against operating a vehicle until you know how the medication affects you. The drug can cause side effects that impair the judgment, coordination, and reaction time needed for safe driving.

The VA will NOT sign off on it. They had me on something similar because (of all things) I had an allergy that it took them 3 YEARS to figure out (one of the effects is it will supress the itching) and I couldnt drive until they did and put me on the right meds - believe it or not, Im allergic to myself. My blood or sweat will actually burn my skin if left on for an extended period. I once slept 23 hours straight when I was on that ####.

They took pics and videos and I was written up in a medical journal.

 

alien blood??