Water Well Journal

April 2015

Water Well Journal

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waterwelljournal.com 16 April 2015 WWJ To be certified, physicians must complete training on FMCSA's physical qualification standards, pass a test, and demonstrate competence through periodic training and testing. Before the rule, the FMCSA didn't require training for doc- tors who performed driver physicals—they had to be aware of FMCSA regulations. Also, any state-licensed physician could perform medical certifications for commercial drivers. As a result, doctors may not have known the FMCSA's standards or how some medical conditions and their treatment can affect a driver's ability to safely operate a commercial vehicle, according to the FMCSA. There are more than 30,000 certified examiners on the reg- istry—but keep in mind your family doctor may not be one of them. "From my understanding it's not an easy certification," Wright says, "so you're seeing a lot of the private practice doctors aren't doing exams anymore." Before making an appointment for your exam, check to see if your doctor is on the list. You can find a certified examiner near you by visiting the registry's website at https://national registry.fmcsa.dot.gov. "The rule hasn't had much effect on our company," Wright says. "But it could have an impact on you if you're in an area without a certified examiner. You may need to drive farther to a bigger city to have your physical done." Since the rule went into effect last year, Wright has noticed physicians are cracking down on health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea. "I've seen them reject more medical cards or more appli- cants in the last year than I've seen in the last 10 years," Wright says. Most often the examiner will issue a medical card but re- quire the driver to be checked more frequently, he adds. If a driver has high blood pressure, for example, the examiner could certify him or her for a minimum of 30 days. Once it's under control, the driver can be certified for a maximum of one year, instead of the normal two-year certification. The month after the regulations took effect, certified med- ical examiners completed more than 400,000 exams, accord- ing to the November 2014 Motor Carrier Safety Report from J.J. Keller. Of those: • 60% received two-year medical certifications • 29% received one-year medical certifications • 5.5% received three-month medical certifications • 3% failed the exam • Less than 1% received a medical certification for fewer than three months. "What they've done is made the waiver program more uni- fied," says Gary LaBrake, owner of On the Road in Branford, Connecticut. "So, if you have a person with diabetes, it's under control, and he's met certain criteria, he can retain his federal certification for a limited amount of time." Drivers can receive a medical exemption for diabetes if they don't have other health issues, LaBrake says. They'll need to have quarterly evaluations completed by an endocri- nologist and a yearly diabetes assessment to maintain the exemption. Drivers can also receive a vision exemption if they have 20/40 vision with or without corrective lenses. Learn more about these exemptions on the FMCSA's website at www .fmcsa.dot.gov/medical/driver-medical-requirements/ driver-exemption-programs. Medical examiners are required to verify the driver physi- cals they complete each month with the FMCSA. All the same, it is still a driver's responsibility to submit his or her own Medical Examination Report to their state. Self-certifying with your state All CMV drivers since 2012 have been required to self- certify with their state driver licensing agency the type of commercial vehicle they drive or expect to use with their commercial driver's license (CDL). Drivers are required to do so 10 days prior to any license transaction. Some states require drivers to self-certify in per- son; most will accept mailed, faxed, or emailed documents. Others have online forms. Because it differs from state to state, check with your state licensing agency on how to self-certify. When drivers renew their CDL, apply for a new one, trans- fer from another state, or apply for a higher class or a new endorsement, they must certify they fall into one of four categories: • Interstate non-excepted: The driver is not an excepted driver and must meet the federal DOT medical card requirements. • Interstate excepted: The driver is an excepted driver and does not have to meet the federal DOT medical card requirements. • Intrastate non-excepted: The driver is an intrastate non-excepted driver and is required to meet the medical requirements for his or her state. • Intrastate excepted: The driver is an intrastate excepted driver and does not have to meet the medical requirements for his or her state. If a driver is an interstate non-excepted driver, they are required to submit the Medical Examination Report signed by a certified medical examiner during the self-certification process. For self-certifications on January 30, 2015 or after, the hard copy of a driver's medical cards are good for 15 days. During that time drivers should carry it with them. After 15 days, the hard copy is no longer valid, and they are not required to carry it. QUALIFICATIONS from page 15 "I've seen them reject more medical cards or more applicants in the last year than I've seen in the last 10 years."

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