Medical Certificate
Responsibilities, work schedules, physical and emotional demands, and lifestyles among commercial drivers vary by the type of driving that they do. Some of the main types of drivers include the following: turn- around or short relay (drivers return to their home base each evening); long relay (drivers drive 8-10 hours and then have an 8-hour off-duty period); straight through haul (cross country drivers); and team drivers (drivers share the driving by alternating their 4-hour driving periods and 4-hour rest periods). The following factors may be involved in a driver's performance of duties: abrupt schedule changes and rotating work schedules, which may result in irregular sleep patterns and a driver beginning a trip in a fatigued condition; long hours; extended time away from family and friends, which may result in lack of social support; tight pickup and delivery schedules, with irregularity in work, rest, and eating patterns, adverse road, weather and traffic conditions, which may cause delays and lead to hurriedly loading or unloading cargo in order to compensate for the lost time; and environmental conditions such as excessive vibration, noise, and extremes in temperature. Transporting passengers or hazardous materials may add to the demands on the commercial driver.
There may be duties in addition to the driving task for which a driver is responsible and needs to be fit. Some of these responsibilities are: coupling and uncoupling trailer(s) from the tractor, loading and unloading trailer(s) (sometimes a driver may lift a heavy load or unload as much as 50,000 pounds of freight after sitting for a long period of time without any stretching period); inspecting the operating condition of tractor and trailer(s) before, during and after delivery of cargo; lifting, installing and removing heavy tire chains; and lifting heavy tarpaulins to cover open top trailers. These tasks demand agility, the ability to bend and stoop, the ability to maintain a crouching position, frequent entry and exit of the cab and the ability to climb ladders on the tractor and/or trailer(s). In addition, a driver must have the perceptual skills to monitor a sometimes complex driving situation, the judgment skills to make quick decisions when necessary, and the manipulative skills to control an oversize steering wheel, shift gears using a manual transmission and maneuver a vehicle in crowded areas.
49 CFR, 391.41 PHYSICAL QUALIFICATIONS FOR DRIVERS
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A person shall not drive a commercial motor vehicle unless he/she is physically qualified to do so and, except as provided in 391.67, has on his person the original, or a photographic copy of a medical examiner's certificate that he/she is physically qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle.
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A person is physically qualified to drive a motor vehicle if that person:
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Has no loss of foot, a leg, a hand or an arm, or has been granted a Skill Performance Evaluation Certificate (formerly Limb Waiver) pursuant to 391.49;
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Has no impairment of a hand or finger which interferes with prehension or power grasping; or an arm, foot or leg which interferes with the ability to perform normal tasks associated with operating a commercial motor vehicle; or any other significant limb defect or limitation which interferes with the ability to perform normal tasks associated with operating a commercial motor vehicle; or has been granted a SPE Certificate pursuant to 391.49;
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Has no established medical history or clinical diagnoses of diabetes mellitus currently requiring insulin for control;
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Has no current clinical diagnosis of myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, coronary insufficiency, thrombosis, or any other cardiovascular disease of a variety known to be accompanied by syncope, dyspnea, collapse or congestive heart failure;
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Has no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of a respiratory dysfunction likely to interfere with his/her ability to control and drive a commercial motor vehicle safely;
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Has no current clinical diagnosis of high blood pressure likely to interfere with his/her ability to operate a commercial motor vehicle safely;
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Has no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of rheumatic, arthritic orthopedic, muscular, neuromuscular or vascular disease that interferes with his ability to control and operate a commercial motor vehicle safely;
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Has no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of epilepsy or any other condition which is likely to cause loss of consciousness or any loss of ability to control a commercial motor vehicle;
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Has no mental, nervous, organic or functional disease or psychiatric disorder likely to interfere with his ability to drive a commercial motor vehicle safely;
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Has distant visual acuity of at least 20/40 (Snellen) in each eye without corrective lenses or visual acuity separately corrected to 20/40 (Snellen) or better with corrective lenses, distant binocular acuity of at least 20/40 (Snellen) in both eyes with or without corrective lenses, field of vision of at least 70 degrees in the horizontal meridian in each eye, and the ability to recognize the colors of traffic signals and devices showing standard red, green and amber;
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First perceives a forced whispered voice in the better ear not less than 5 feet with or without the use of a hearing aid, or, if tested by use of an audiometric device, does not have an average hearing loss in the better ear greater than 40 decibels at 500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, and 2,000 Hz with or without a hearing aid when the audiometric device is calibrated to American National Standard (formerly ASA Standard) Z24.5-1951;
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Does not use a controlled substance identified in 21 CFR 1308.11 Schedule 1, an amphetamine, a narcotic or any other habit-forming drug. (A driver may use such a substance or drug, if the substance or drug is prescribed by a licensed medical practitioner who is familiar with the driver's medical history and assigned duties and has advised the driver that the prescribed substance or drug will not adversely affect the driver's ability to safely operate a commercial motor vehicle); and
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Has no current clinical diagnosis of alcoholism
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