U.S. safety officials call for tighter controls on driver medical clearance

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 29, 2001) — The U.S. government should give doctors greater freedom to warn issuers of commercial licenses when they have concerns about a truck or bus driver’s health, transportation officials recommended yesterday.

In its final report on a 1999 bus crash that killed 22 people in New Orleans, the National Transportation Safety Board said doctors face the risk of being sued when they report information about drivers with medical conditions that might otherwise disqualify them from operating a commercial vehicle.

The board said doctors should be able to find out if a driver failed an earlier medical exam. In the United States, exams are given once every two years.

The New Orleans accident occurred when the driver suffered a heart attack at the wheel. He had been hospitalized 10 times in the 20 months prior to the accident for heart and kidney disease, yet was cleared to renew his commercial license, and doctors never reported his health problems to state or federal officials.

The board also recommended creating a system to allow a prospective employer to find out whether an applicant has failed a drug test. The driver had been fired from two previous jobs after failing drug tests, and he tested positive for marijuana after the crash.

Canada and the United States currently have a reciprocity agreement on medical requirements for commercial drivers. A provincial commercial driver’s license serves as proof of compliance with U.S. federal medical qualifications. The agreement does not give reciprocal recognition to an array of medical waivers for conditions such as diabetes, however.