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Q&A
Can a driver with lung disease get a DOT medical card?
Is the use of oxygen therapy a disqualifier?
Can I still drive if I have a blood clot in the lung?
I had lung surgery and a lobectomy a few years ago . Will this fail me on a DOT physical?
What does neck size, weight, and BMI have to do with the DOT physical exam?
What does snoring have to do with the DOT physical exam?
Can a driver with lung disease get a DOT medical card?
The medical examiner will evaluate your condition to determine how the lung disease may affect your ability to safely drive and perform other duties of a commercial driver. If you don’t have a medical opinion letter from a treating physician, you may need to go for a chest x-ray or pulmonary function tests before the medical examiner can consider certification.
Is the use of oxygen therapy a disqualifier?
Most likely, yes, oxygen therapy while driving is a disqualifier. The reasons are twofold: 1. Malfunction of the oxygen equipment. 2. Progression of the disease may be debilitating. You may be considered if you can pass a pulmonary function test.
I was recently diagnosed with COPD from exhaust leak in my semi. Can I lose my CDL because of this diagnosis?
The diagnosis of COPD is not, by itself a disqualifier for your cdl. It will/may have an effect while doing your medical examination and certification. Your best bet is to take any and all notation from your primary lung doctor with you when you re-do your medical exam and certificate. The examiner just needs to make sure your are fit to return to work without being a risk to yourself or the public at large.
Can I still drive if I have a blood clot in the lung?
With the blood clot in the lung, you want to make sure you bring a note from you pulmonary specialist stating you are good to go. The medical examiner will need a copy for your file when he does the exam.
I had lung surgery and a lobectomy a few years ago . Will this fail me on a DOT physical?
In and of itself, the lobectomy should not be an issue. But what was the reasoning behind the surgery? Your examiner will have other questions regarding the surgery and what its long term effects are, as well as, how it affects your ability to operate a commercial motor vehicle.
What does neck size, weight, and BMI have to do with the DOT physical exam?
Neck size, weight, and BMI are all just indicators that the medical examiner looks at to determine if you may have a condition that would impact your ability to safely drive a commercial vehicle now or for the period for which the medical card may be issued. There are currently no set specifics on these measurements in the DOT regulations. However, companies may set their own policies and have their own standards for these indicators, which may disqualify you to drive for that particular company.
What does snoring have to do with the DOT physical exam?
Snoring, in combination with obesity, can be highly predictive of obstructive sleep apnea risk. That said, even the loudest of snorers may not have a breathing obstruction. The sign that is most suggestive of sleep apnea occurs when snoring stops. If both snoring and breathing stop while the person’s chest and body try to breathe, that is literally a description of an event called an ‘apnea’. When breathing starts again, there is typically a deep gasp and then the resumption of snoring.
For the DOT physical exam the medical examiner evaluates your overall physical condition and health history to determine if there are signs of a medical condition that may affect your ability to safely drive a CMV. If the medical examiner has reasonable suspicion that you have sleep apnea you may have to go for an overnight sleep test called a polysomnogram before you can be further considered for certification.
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Can a person that is on oxygen pass the DOT physical to be a school bus driver?
@Mary
This will depend on your State’s variances. Contact your local drivers license to get the details.
In the state of Tennessee is a driver required to take a breathing exam if they have smoked cigarettes for many years…I have never heard of this before when renewing in other states.
Thanx Bob
@Bob
The CME can request one if he feels that there may be a safety issue. And if he wants to do that test in his own office, then it is up to you whether you want them to do it or you can go to your primary doctor and have your doctor do it.
It is not the CME’S duty to perform other tests. His job is to determine medical fitness for duty, period.
Hi,
Last year I had a lump removed from my neck, that was diagnosed as Cancerous.
I had 35 Radiation Treatments, and 4 Chemo sessions.
I have had several scans since then, and have been declared Cancer Free.
I have been lifting weights, 4 days a week, and running 5 days a week,
since released by my doctors.
My Blood pressure is perfect,
my Blood sugar is perfect,
20% Body fat, currently no known health problems at all, and probably in the best shape of my life…and I was an athlete in school, and I’m MUCH stronger now….
Would the Cancer that I HAD effect my ability to get a CDL, and a job driving a truck now?
@James
You should do fine. Get a note/medical release form from your primary doctor explaining you present health condition and take it with you. That information will help the CME in his decision making process. Good Luck
I have COPD and recently went through an exacerbation due to smoldering battery fumes leaking into my bus . I went to the ER and got IV steroids and a breathing treatment. Also went to my pulmonary spec and had a pulmonary function test. The results were that I needed to have 1 L of oxygen only while ambulating.. since I don’t need it while driving can I still drive interstate?
@Jennifer
Make sure you take all your test results with you when you go for your new medical certificate, also have a medical release form completed by your doctors. That should answer the questions that the CME will have. Also explain the type of driving that you do routinely, it will help in the CME’s decision making process. Good Luck
I am a CDL examiner in NY. I had a company call me today asking this…
They have an employee that had a CDL exam with no physical abnormalities documented, other than being overweight, who received a 2 year certification (expires 2018). Since then, the employer has identified work habits that they feel indicate some kind of sleep disorder… the employee is frequently late, has been found napping in their vehicle and has complained to another coworker of feeling drowsy during the daytime.
The employer has spoken to the employee about their suspicious behavior and recommended to the employee they have a sleep study conducted. The employee denies any sleep disturbances and is resistive to pursuing any sleep studies.
I know the FMCSA does not have any hard fast rules requiring sleep studies. My question is… Can an employer mandate an employee to have a sleep study or seek a medical evaluation based on suspicion of OSA when the employee has already been evaluated and has a valid CDL that’s not expiring for another year?
I guess the employer is saying…it’s no different than sending an employee for a drug screen for suspicious behavior.
The question then becomes…if the employer does not have these rules/regulations in their job description/handbook, can they legally require an employee seek medical attention based on observed behavior?
Thanks in advance for your help. I’m Googled out on this one.. 🙂
@Stacey
We would say, from a safety issue, if the company feels that the driver has a potential safety concern then they have the right to request an evaluation. If the request is not fulfilled, then the company may have the right to dismiss the driver due to non-compliance regarding the safety issues. This one won’t be found in the FMCSA guides, but is more about the company and their safety requirements.
if you failed a dot exsam why on the road…go home to your home state do you have to return to the same state to get recirtifid
@James
You can go to any examiner, in any state, as long as the examiner is certified by NRCME/FMCSA to do DOT medical exams. Each examiner who is certified has a National Registry #.
Recently spent 3days in the hospital with blood clots in my lungs was released to go home I’m now on eliquid 5mg twice a day I feel fine and breathing is back to normal and BP is better than it has been in years. My question is there a set amount of time I have to stay off the Rd before I can go back to work or is it at the descrection of my primary care physician
@Roger
As long as you have a medical release form from your doctors, then, if everything else is normal, you should be able to get a new medical card and get back on the road.
I recently have taken a dot physical and my bmi was to high so they gave me a 3 month card and said i need to get a sleep apnia test done. I had the test done and it came back negative but it said that hypoxia was present. What does that mean for renewing my cert.
@Eric
Hypoxia is a condition in which the body or a region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply at the tissue level.
This should be followed up with a visit to your primary doctor to make further determinations as to the direction this needs to go. Once the situation has been resolved, then have your doctor complete a medical release form for you and you should be good to go from there, if everything else is normal.