Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/409537
18 | Overdrive | November 2014 Logbook WINTER 2014 0˚F CRITICAL LOAD From 0˚ F to 96˚ F in .16gph 66% reduction in PM emissions 29% reduction in CO Fuel savings of .84 gph on every start* Full equipment readiness in the coldest climates Full equipment readiness in the coldest climates D5 Espar Heaters: They Just Make Sense www.espar.com (800) 387- 4800 * PRE-HEAT IDLE FREE TROUBLE FREE 0˚F 100˚F Field Test Data - Fairbanks, Alaska, February 2013. Hydronic D5 Heater Running Time/Pre-Heat minutes 60 minutes. Tests conducted by AJ Engineering Corp. Engine: Troy, MI. 7.6 L / 466 cu. in. *Based on a $4 gallon. Untitled-41 1 5/27/14 8:29 AM Text INFO to 205-289-3555 or visit www.ovdinfo.com An advisory panel has recommended the use of a questionnaire complet- ed by primary care physicians who prescribe medication to drivers so that Certified Driver Medical Examiners can gather additional information during driver medical exams when use of some Schedule II prescription pain medications is suspected or known. The questionnaire was developed by the Medical Review Board of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Admin- istration. It is a simplification of similar forms already in use by certain CDMEs to help document their determi- nation of whether a driver is fit to receive a medical card. MRB, during its Oct. 27 meeting with FMCSA's Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee, did not call for the current exception to the prohibition on Schedule II drugs to be rescinded. The regulations allow use of such medications only when prescribed by a licensed medical practitioner who is familiar with the driver's med- ical history and has advised the driver that the substance will not affect his ability to drive safely. MCSAC member Todd Spencer, executive vice presi- dent of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Associ- ation, expressed concern over the added complication such a step in the medical certifica- tion process could become in driver qualification, perhaps unnecessary given current regulations and protocols. Other recommendations issued by the MCSAC/MRB joint committee: • Drivers using prescribed narcotics for pain manage- ment should be certified for only one year at a time. • A CDME should con- sider whether the underlying medical condition requiring narcotic(s) use is a disqualify- ing condition itself. • If a driver uses narcotics while off duty, he/she must not use the narcotic for a min- imum of eight hours before driving. – Todd Dills Proposal would enhance screening for pain meds