Tag: medical certification: Page 3

Channel 19

When airline pilots sound like, well, highway pilots

With French media reporting apparent location of the second “black box” from the GermanWings flight, a note about some reporting that rung some familiar bells on the line between profit, safety.

April 2, 2015

Voices

To carry or not to carry: 65 percent of readers say physical med card still key in inspections

As evidenced by February polling here, the physical medical card remained part of more than 6 in 10 readers’ most-recent roadside stops.

February 25, 2015

Voices

POLL: During your last inspection, were you asked to supply your med card?

With the recent change in rules around drivers’ need to carry paper medical cards after 15 days beyond renewal, what are you seeing on the road?

February 18, 2015

Voices

Not so fast on med cards: Non-CDL commercial drivers still must carry

Non-CDL holders are not required to self-certify or submit a copy of their medical card to their state licensing agency. Given such commercial drivers don’t self-certify, if you are one of them, keep carrying the card.

February 4, 2015

Business

Responding to apnea/med cert situation, OOIDA crowd-sources doc reviews

The D.O.T. Doc review and search site is live — it’s intended to grow into a resource drivers can use to share their experiences with each other relative to medical examiners around the nation.

January 30, 2015

Business

Effective Jan. 30, drivers can ditch paper copies of medical cards upon med cert renewal

Truck operators will no longer be required to carry paper copies of their medical certification cards beginning Friday, Jan. 30, as the certification will have been integrated into drivers’ CDLs, FMCSA is expected to announce this week.

January 29, 2015

Voices

If the ‘sky is falling’ with sleep apnea: What about when ‘it lands and nothing really happens?’

“Nothing seems to address the situation where it has been a symptom, has been tested, and is being treated successfully.” –Dan Tucker on needed apnea coverage; FMCSA says two-year certification up to the examiner

January 22, 2015

Business

FMCSA bulletin on sleep apnea reiterates regs, ‘encourages’ examiners on treatment, screening

Facing widespread criticism over its examiners’/training organizations’ muddled approach to apnea in medical certification, and hamstrung by Congress, FMCSA attempts to settle the record on apnea regs with bulletin….

January 21, 2015

Business

Apnea clarification unlikely in short term to remedy the condition’s growing importance in medical certifications

Though FMCSA says it will send a bulletin to medical examiners to clarify its guidelines on screening drivers for sleep apnea, it’s unlikely medical examiners’ willingness to issue short-term driver medical certifications contingent on apnea testing will be affected.

December 4, 2014

Overdrive Radio

NASTC head David Owen’s sleep apnea story

NASTC president David Owen is firm in his belief in a professional driver’s ability to manage fatigue. And while he clearly knows the benefit of apnea treatment in those who suffer from it, Owen cites a fundamental disagreement with those who believe untreated apnea is public highway safety danger No. 1.

November 18, 2014

Business

Sleep apnea and conditional medical certification being fought on new fronts

In an attempt to solve the problem of medical examiners’ willingness to issue short-term conditional certifications — if any certification at all — pending results of a sleep study, NASTC has started offering both member and non-member carriers and drivers a sleep apnea screening and testing program that puts the process in the driver’s hands.

November 7, 2014

Business

Committee recommends doc questionnaire on prescription pain meds

Industry representatives worried that the questionnaire would put yet another stumbling block in the driver medical certification process; doctors argued it would help document their determination of whether a driver is fit to receive a medical card.

October 28, 2014