Commercial truck drivers, like anyone else, may have many health problems, both physical and mental. However, if a truck driver has a medical condition that affects his ability to safely operate his truck, he puts thousands of lives of other motorists on the road in significant danger. Furthermore, if a truck driver has a medical emergency while on the road, he may lose control of the large truck and cause severe accidents than may involve multiple vehicles and cause serious injuries. In order to try to regulate the health problems of truck drivers to keep the roads as safe as possible, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has strict medical qualifications for truck drivers to receive their commercial driver’s licenses (CDL). If you have been injured in an accident caused by a driver who does not meet the medical qualifications, a Fayette County Truck Accident Attorney can help hold that driver responsible for your losses.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation § 391.41 sets out certain medical qualifications for drivers including:
- Having all limbs and extremities without impairments that may affect driving ability
- No diagnosis of diabetes mellitus requiring the administration of insulin
- Free of certain cardiovascular diseases
- Free of respiratory dysfunction
- No high blood pressure that may interfere with driving ability
- No arthritis, muscular deficiencies, or other orthopedic conditions that interfere with driving ability
- No epilepsy or related conditions
- No mental, psychiatric, functional, or nervous disorder that may interfere with driving ability
- Meets certain vision criteria
- Meets certain hearing criteria
- Does not use illegal substances, amphetamines, narcotics, or other habit-forming drugs
- Does not use any other drugs without a proper prescription from a medical professional
- Has no current diagnosis of alcoholism
If a driver does not meet these requirements, he should not be granted a CDL and should not operate a commercial vehicle. If an unqualified driver causes an accident and you are injured, you deserve to be fully compensated. Call (980) 246-2656 today to schedule a free consultation with an experienced truck accident lawyer at Shane Smith Law.