Truck drivers are supposed to be in good physical health in order to drive commercial motor vehicles. Unfortunately, the nature of the job—driving long hours, securing loads, conducting pre and post trip safety inspections—can take a toll on their bodies. This is why there are a number of physical qualifications and medical fitness provisions that would disqualify a driver from operating a large truck, including:
- Hearing loss
- Vision loss
- Insulin use for diabetes
- Epilepsy
- Limb loss or defect
- Coronary insufficiency
- Thrombosis
- Infarction
- Angina pectoris
- Cardiovascular disease
- Respiratory dysfunction
- Rheumatic and arthritic disease
- Vascular disease
- Mental disease or psychiatric disorder
Truck drivers need to be inspected medically to determine if they physically qualify to drive a commercial vehicle. Any disease or impairment that is likely to interfere with a truck driver’s ability to drive, control, and operate a commercial truck safely is grounds for disqualification.
Sadly, some truck drivers may not know that they have developed new health conditions, and they may find out too late—after a severe truck accident has already occurred. This is why it is critical that truck drivers get medically evaluated yearly.
If a truck driver continues to drive knowing that he or she is not medically fit for duty, the truck driver and his trucking company can be held liable for the trucking accident, injuries, and losses. If you or a loved one have suffered trauma in a trucking accident on Florida State Road 45 or anywhere in the Sarasota area, contact Mallard Perez for a free consultation today.