Let’s talk about the physical impairments of a driver and about whether they’re qualified to be on the roads. First of all, if a driver has lost an arm, leg, hand, or anything which could impair the driver’s driving ability then, of course, they’re not going to be allowed on the road. If the truck driver has physical conditions such as a high blood pressure, a heart condition, respiratory issues, sometimes even truckers who have to take insulin shots, those are the sorts of things that can really prevent or impair a driver on the road, so they would be probably disqualified from even being able to drive.
Anything relating to the truck driver’s psychiatric condition, vision, or mental status would also be a big reason to disqualify a driver. If the driver has been diagnosed with either an alcohol or drug problem, of course, that’s going to be also disqualified. Usually, the truck drivers are required to perform a physical exam every two years whenever there’s a physical or mental issue which might interfere with their ability to drive.
The actual medical exam has to be performed by a certified medical examiner who is listed as being a certified medical examiner. If the driver believes that he or she is actually physically fit to drive on the roads then it’s very simple, the driver can go ahead and get another physician to certify that he or she is fully capable of driving without any impairments, without any risk to the public, and then he or she can go ahead and dispute the findings of the original doctor. Sometimes the driver can actually file what’s known as a waiver of disqualification, depending on the physical impairment.