Getting In To Trucking With Sight In Only One Eye

Topic 24149 | Page 1

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Alex B.'s Comment
member avatar

Hello, I am very interested in getting into trucking as my current job is going nowhere. I have read all over about the physical requirements for trucking and wondering if anyone has had experience with attempting to get a CDL with sight in only one eye. I have excellent vision in other eye and hold a current regular license. I have seen from the fmcsa site that there is a vision waiver available, but it seems very complicated and also limits you to intrastate driving for the first three years before you can apply to be interstate. Would like to know if anyone has had experience with this waiver, and any companies that would do intrastate only. I am in Pennsylvania. Thanks!

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

CSA:

Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)

The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle

FMCSA:

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000. Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.

What Does The FMCSA Do?

  • Commercial Drivers' Licenses
  • Data and Analysis
  • Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
  • Research and Technology
  • Safety Assistance
  • Support and Information Sharing

Interstate:

Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).

Intrastate:

The act of purchasers and sellers transacting business while keeping all transactions in a single state, without crossing state lines to do so.

Fm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
Susan D. 's Comment
member avatar

I don't know much about the medical waivers, but I'm sure someone here does. Hopefully they'll respond soon.

Dave Reid's Comment
member avatar

Alex, you'd need to get the medical waiver in accordance with the procedures you read, you'd need to pass a DOT physical, and you'd also need to pass the physical requirements of the company you go to - many of them may not accept the medical waiver - they don't have to.

Apart from all that, I'm very sorry but I feel I need to recommend that you choose a different career. Despite your good vision, with one eye you aren't going to have the peripheral vision and field of view that is needed in this job for you to be safe and for the public to be safe. I would likely have been in an accident today but not for the peripheral vision from my left eye.

Our job isn't hard or complicated, but please understand the somewhat awesome responsibility that piloting an 80,000 lb. vehicle on public roadways entails. There are thousands of job types....please choose something else. If you're really interested in the logistics industry, there are a whole lot of non-driving jobs that work with trucking. Dispatch, Customer Service, Load Planning, Freight Agent - to name a few.

Hello, I am very interested in getting into trucking as my current job is going nowhere. I have read all over about the physical requirements for trucking and wondering if anyone has had experience with attempting to get a CDL with sight in only one eye. I have excellent vision in other eye and hold a current regular license. I have seen from the fmcsa site that there is a vision waiver available, but it seems very complicated and also limits you to intrastate driving for the first three years before you can apply to be interstate. Would like to know if anyone has had experience with this waiver, and any companies that would do intrastate only. I am in Pennsylvania. Thanks!

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

CSA:

Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)

The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle

FMCSA:

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000. Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.

What Does The FMCSA Do?

  • Commercial Drivers' Licenses
  • Data and Analysis
  • Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
  • Research and Technology
  • Safety Assistance
  • Support and Information Sharing

DOT:

Department Of Transportation

A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.

State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.

Interstate:

Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).

Intrastate:

The act of purchasers and sellers transacting business while keeping all transactions in a single state, without crossing state lines to do so.

Fm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

OOS:

When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.

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