Back With Swift After False Start With Another Company

Everyone,

I had a minute to think about it. These companies that ask for ALL medical records, in my opinion, I think even they do NOT know what they are looking for. If those companies can afford to cull the field to "get the best," then good on them. The question is, will they get the best, or only the healthiest?

Dave

I have got to agree with Brett here. You are going into an industry where you can potentially serously injure or kill people on public roadways. Brett is 100% correct about the company being liable for YOUR damage to others.

I understand your point about there being inaccuracies in your medical records, but I don't think that will stop you from gaining employment, you would just have to correct the inaccuracies. Sometimes people have weird things on their credit report and cannot get a mortgage easily, but if they spend the time correcting the issues then they do fine.

Thing is its not the companies that are wanting this. If you are a safe driver and can due the job then they will hire you. Its the insurance that wants this info due to our "sue happy" society.

One law suit can make or break a company in court if its found that a company allowed a driver in their truck that had a history of medical conditions that could prove dangerous behind the wheel of a truck.

Dealing with military medical records can be a pain to get cleared up but it can be done. Just takes a lot of work. Now weather or not you have the time to get that done is another issue all together. I am sure there are a lot of people with mixed up medical records that were in the military but truth be told that will be a small percentage compared to the entire military population.

I know that every little issue, weather minor or major, is recorded in the military medical records. I have dealt with this issue a bit so I can speak about it. When the reports are made YOU can see the report that is written at the time its written. And there is a spot on each form for the persons name on the report. Sure reports can be filed in the wrong medical report. I am sure that happens a lot but the name of the person the report is being made on should be on it and so that is a easily corrected issue.

After filing the right paperwork and talking to the right people you can have a sit down with the medical people, even if military, and get the wrong info corrected or removed if need be.

You stated Dave D that you did not even know everything that is in your report and you would not allow a lawyer or a company to see the records that you, yourself, did not know all of it. I can understand that. What I don't understand is why YOU do not know whats in YOUR medical records and the reason behind each report. That is simple personal responsibility that you should know what is in it. Believe me I know the hassle the government puts people through trying to access personal medical records but it can be done. It just takes work.

Just reading through the post on this subject I am thinking the real theme here is something more like privacy issues and people,employers, government and companies wanting to know more about your personal info than you are willing to give. Hey!...its your info and you have a right not to share it with the world. Go for it but just know that if its a requirement to get a job to disclose the info and you are unwilling to provide the info then you will be refused a job solely based on this alone regardless if you are the most qualified person for the job.

Unfair? Not really. Companies have specific info they need and if they don't get it then they most on to the next person. Its not personal. Its business. I am not for full discloser of all person info but if to get a job that requires it then you have a personal decision to make....Either provide the info they need or don't take the job you are wanting. Its as simple as that.

That is true Guy, and there are plenty of trucking companies out there. Some have more stringent requirements on the drive test, some want more info on medical, some require HAZMAT endorsement, etc.

If you don't want the "hassle" then you move on to the next company.

Dave

That is true Guy, and there are plenty of trucking companies out there. Some have more stringent requirements on the drive test, some want more info on medical, some require HAZMAT endorsement, etc.

If you don't want the "hassle" then you move on to the next company.

Dave

Very true. We say all the time that every trucking is not a good fit for some drives. Each driver has that "near perfect" company out there and it takes time to find that correct company for you.

The main thing that makes a company good you is your current position in your life. That can change pretty fast. One company could be perfect for you today and then something changes in in your personal life and another company that you had not enough thought of turns out to be the better company.

I've got to agree with Brett here. In my opinion trucking companies should have full access to our medical records. They are accepting a huge risk letting us drive their trucks. You know the old saying, those that have nothing to hide, hide nothing..

There is a danger that a company would use your medical records to find a condition that would mean they would not want you on their medical insurance. It is illegal, but it is also done on a regular basis. I was diagnosed with colon cancer a while back, and i was lucky. It was caught in my first screening and was so early, it resolved during the screening. I just now have to be screened every few years and have been declared cancer free. Now then, that diagnosis of cancer is often used to discriminate in the business world. When my company asked for medical information, they asked for "major" treatments. My wife and I discussed it and decided since it was removed at screening with no further treatment needed it did not qualify as "major". So I did not disclose that. It has no bearing on my ability to drive safely. So it is not the business of my company at all. There is a federal law called HIPPA that says our privacy in medical records is protected for that very reason. To prevent unlawful discrimination. Because my wife works in the medical field, she understands the law very well. The only medical information any company needs is what affects someone abilty to drive, and in our understanding, anything beyond that is illegal for them to have access too. Doesn't mean they cant ask, doesn't mean they have to hire you if you refuse, but as to their rights to that info without your express permission, they have ZERO. And with all due respect Brett, large companies do discriminate and violate the law willfully all the time. They can just have lots of lawyers to build a buffer to hold off any consequences.

Well said Troubador....and I fully agree. I have a pristine 15 years driving class8 trucks. But if they looked in my medical records, they wouldn't hire me. Another thing that these companies want out of your medical records is PRE EXISTING CONDITIONS. they look for them, and by not hiring people with a PEC that is of the expensive order, they will get their insurance at a reduced rate. And for the companies that ensure themselves...it saves them untold amounts of money not paid out in medical care for the driver. So maybe ya'll can see why I bow my neck, and sink my heels in, when a COMMON employer demands to know every medical issue of my entire life. If it would affect how I drove his equipment...you betcha, he has a right to it. But to use my records to "weed" me out as a possible future albatross isn't fair. I've broke more bones,(my back 3 times), and I've had cancer 3 times (all tumors), and just recently, a hip replacement and a knee replacement. Would ANY trucking company want to hire me, if they were self insured and know that in the future I could cost them half a million ??? HELL NO !!! but for me, its more of a moral issue...I HATE Big Brother in any form...and they are starting to line up at our doors...take heed. BTW...in combination with the Federal law regarding HIPPA....some states also have rigid laws regarding a person's rights to privacy. I am glad I live in one of those states............

Like I said, my wife has good knowledge of the HIPPA laws because of her job. They even send her once a year to a seminar on any changes that might come into effect. That is because she runs a hospital lab and deals with records requests every day. I have my insurance through her, so I dont have to take company insurance, and her hospital is a national chain, and as long as I stay in their network, my insurance is a thousand times better than what is offered. But that would not make any difference to paper pushers skirting the law.

Ok, you guys are extrapolating here beyond belief. Nobody said anything about wanting everyone's medical records, and nobody said anything about a "lifetime" worth of records.

This started because one driver was taking a medication for a condition that made the company a bit nervous so they wanted 2 years worth of medical records to verify that this driver was safe to hire. They wanted to make sure there wasn't anything else in the immediate past to be concerned with. It would be irresponsible of them both legally and ethically if they didn't verify that their drivers are fit to drive. They saw a potential problem and wanted to explore it further.

I'd bet anything that if any of you crying foul were to get in a wreck caused by the other driver's medical condition you'd be screaming at the Government for not doing its job to protect the public. You're the "can't win" crowd. You generally want the government to shut up and go away, but the first time something goes wrong you're there crying to the Heavens that the government didn't do its job.

You guys and gals can scream about your privacy and rights until you're blue in the face but when you're doing a job that potentially puts a lot of people at risk you don't have the right to keep things private that may endanger others. Whether a company is intending to use these records in a discriminatory way is a completely separate issue and is not legal nor ethical grounds for withholding potentially serious and pertinent information.

The bottom line is simple - if you want to keep everything about yourself private, then get a piece of land, become self-sufficient, and drop off the grid. Don't buckle up in an 80,000 pound monster going 60+ MPH, put yourself in the middle of a pack of minivans full of children, and tell the world they have no right to know about your medical condition. The hell they don't.

And I also still find it odd that everyone here consents to criminal checks, physicals, employment checks, company driving tests, psychological exams, fingerprinting and a Federal background check for Hazmat , and a million others things but you're freaking out over releasing medical records?

There are always conspiracy theories that can be built with almost any subject matter, and I enjoy a good conspiracy theory myself. But you guys are hoping against hope here. Your medical history is clearly pertinent when it comes to driving a rig in the public domain. You sound a little bit looney to even suggest you have the right to drive a big rig and put the public at risk while also having the right to keep your medical condition a secret.