New DOT Medical Exam Forms - Let's Get EVEN MORE COMPLICATED.

Due to come out as a requirement the end of this month.

These questionnaires are A LOT MORE INVASIVE.

Questions like - have you ever had a broken bone? Have you ever spent a night in a hospital? Anxiety, depression, nervousness, other mental health problems? Have you ever used or do you now use tobacco?

Also includes question on neck circumference and BMI.

http://www.ksde.org/Portals/0/School%20Bus/Bus%20Driver/MCSA-5875.pdf

Looks like they're looking to REALLY COMPLICATE medically qualifying to drive. And are going to require a LOT MORE DOCUMENTATION for drivers that answer in the affirmative to some of the questions.

Rick

*smh*....is that nationwide?

*smh*....is that nationwide?

Yes.

Questions like - have you ever had a broken bone?

Yes

Have you ever spent a night in a hospital?

Yes

Anxiety, depression, nervousness, other mental health problems?

Describe "anxiety," "depression," "nervousness," or "'other' mental health problems."

Have you ever used or do you now use tobacco?

Yes.

So I guess that means I'm screwed.

Dave

Questions like - have you ever had a broken bone?

Yes

Have you ever spent a night in a hospital?

Yes

Anxiety, depression, nervousness, other mental health problems?

Describe "anxiety," "depression," "nervousness," or "'other' mental health problems."

Have you ever used or do you now use tobacco?

Yes.

So I guess that means I'm screwed.

Dave

Yep, you will have to eat the new school lunch diet from now on. Good luck!!

Seriously though.

A lot of these new questions, are going to complicate the process of getting your med card - with a medical examiner that is not your personal physician, requiring a lot more documentation, etc.

I mean - when you get to be middle aged - a lot of this stuff is going to be a YES (at some point in your life). Yes I DID have high bp and cholesterol - losing 130 lbs took care of that.

Surgery - yes. Cancer - yes.

And once you're entered into "the system" - failure to disclose something you DID DISCLOSE on a previous form, is grounds for revocation or denial.

A lot of "independent medical examiners" (ie: not company physicals), are really wary of potential liability, and will fail you, rather than pass if there's anything remotely questionable on your application.

And most ME's (despite being certified) really have little knowledge of the "finer points" of FMCSA regs - so they're really going to be leery of passing drivers without mounds of documentation.

Rick

Seriously though.

A lot of these new questions, are going to complicate the process of getting your med card - with a medical examiner that is not your personal physician, requiring a lot more documentation, etc.

I mean - when you get to be middle aged - a lot of this stuff is going to be a YES (at some point in your life). Yes I DID have high bp and cholesterol - losing 130 lbs took care of that.

Surgery - yes. Cancer - yes.

And once you're entered into "the system" - failure to disclose something you DID DISCLOSE on a previous form, is grounds for revocation or denial.

A lot of "independent medical examiners" (ie: not company physicals), are really wary of potential liability, and will fail you, rather than pass if there's anything remotely questionable on your application.

And most ME's (despite being certified) really have little knowledge of the "finer points" of FMCSA regs - so they're really going to be leery of passing drivers without mounds of documentation.

Rick

Talking to the XPO recruiter yesterday, I asked her if they preferred me do my DOT physical before arrival, or with their preferred physician. They encourage you to get it done before arrival, so they don't have to do it, and they will reimburse the cost. my PCP does them for Southeastern, here in SC. XPO, moved up a notch or two on my preferred companies to drive for, and for other reason, too.

This might become the "new normal" to avoid those potential pitfalls.

Talking to the XPO recruiter yesterday, I asked her if they preferred me do my DOT physical before arrival, or with their preferred physician. They encourage you to get it done before arrival, so they don't have to do it, and they will reimburse the cost. my PCP does them for Southeastern, here in SC. XPO, moved up a notch or two on my preferred companies to drive for, and for other reason, too.

This might become the "new normal" to avoid those potential pitfalls.

I would think that clinics that do "company physicals" would tend to be more lenient - as the object is (absent glaring defects, or companies that profit from sleep studies and selling cpap machines), the object is to get you into orientation.

Conversely - making you SHOW UP with a med cert, may remove them from the "liability loop", for passing you and having a health condition THEY didn't catch (or ignored) be a contributing factor in an accident later on.

What I DO SEE from this - is a lot more drivers that are in fact, safe to operate a CMV - being disqualified by ME's that are reluctant to pass someone, based on ancient medical history that is next to impossible to document.

I've got some old old stuff (bowel resection 25 years ago - skin melanoma 20 years ago) that I doubt I can document because they're so old. But the surgical scars are obvious - and if not declared on the long form - could disqual me solely based on that..

Same with the mental health questions (which have come up with regards to folks here on anti-depressants - not me in this case).

What I'm seeing is more of a federal regulatory agency on a fishing expedition - and less, concerns about whether or not an individual can safely operate a CMV TODAY.

With the current/ongoing driver shortages - I see them getting worse, due to ME's arbitrarily DQ'ing drivers, to cover their own butts.

Rick

Rick S. thinks:

I would think that clinics that do "company physicals" would tend to be more lenient - as the object is (absent glaring defects, or companies that profit from sleep studies and selling cpap machines), the object is to get you into orientation.

I just ended up taking two physicals, one on Monday and one on Tuesday last week. It was time for my re-up, so I went to the clinic that did my last DOT physical. Got it done, went to the Mississippi state license office to give them an update. All good ... so I thought. Took my completed, official, form to Swift. "No Dice", they said - the clinic is not on our Swift approved list. I had to use the company health clinic at the terminal - the Company Doctor for a second DOT physical.

The company physical was the more thorough of the two - physical agility (arm and leg reflexes, strength and moving range), eye-machine vision check (not the E P Z G on the wall) and a few extra pokes and prods. I believe the company will be more stringent so they do not get into liability from "lesser", so to speak, physicals, allowing medically less-qualified drivers drive their equipment.

New medical forms! Get 'em while they're hot!

Links to the PDF of the new forms. (and for your reading enjoyment, links to the current, soon to be "old" forms, too.)

NEW Medical Examination Report Form MCSA-5875

NEW Medical Examiner's Certificate

(source: DOTMedicalExaminersBlog.com: Medical Examiner Certificate Integration Final Rule -Important dates to remember.)

CURRENT Medical Examination Report for Commercial Driver Fitness Determination

CURRENT Medical Examiners Certificate