DOT physical, was worried for a bit.

[Remmy4477]

My DOT med card expires in July, normally I wait till that week and retake it.

Well this year our company's policies have changed, now they want you to take it at least 30 days before it expires or it's on your dime!

Ok fine, not a problem.

My problem, last time I went in for it I had to fight with the doctor over sleep apnea, wanted me to take tests for it even though my family doctor cleared me on that months prior to the physical. I won and walked out with my DOT cert. Trust me it was a PIA.

Well since then our company changed medical providers, this new one is pushing the sleep apnea on all our drivers coming through the door. A lot of guys were getting dinged on it. A few of them fought them and the company on it and won but lost time due to being put "out of service" until the paperwork cleared.

Me and my wife have 5 months left of house payments. I've been in trucking now for almost 38 years, been around trucks since 1971. So I kind of hate the trucking industry nowadays and am sooo tired of it! Has really gotten bad trying to keep your cdl anymore and the games the government and companies play is really getting out of hand. I keep telling myself, 2 more years then I'm out!

But that physical had me worried! Wanted to get the house payed for and a bit more $$$ in the bank before I get out! I had no intention of getting dinged with sleep apnea or fighting them on it. Told the wife, If I go in and they try the push, I'm done! Will go flip hamburgers or stock shelves if need be. Least we had some sort of plan if worse case.

Well went in last night after work to get my physical.
To my surprise all went well with no mention of extra tests or even sleep apnea! Doctor was nice as was the staff. Probably one of the nicest physicals I've ever had. Was not even there an hour! Boy did I feel relieved walking out of there!

Good, time to relax!

My DL expires in 2 years as does my DOT cert. Then I am officially old, lazy and done! Lord willing of course.

[MrWolf]

Congrats. Every once in awhile things work out like they should. Good for you.

[Barry54]

The nurse told me anyone with a BMI of 40 or above is now required to get a sleep apnea test. He said previously the doctor could just say that you were healthy and waive it. But they (the government) are really cracking down on it now.

[vrod1023]

Glad it went well. Won't be long and then you will be spending your days casting and sipping beer all day.

Sent from my SM-A505F using Tapatalk

[schutzen-jager]

you are lucky - i had a class A cdl with passenger endorsement for over 3 decades - never failed a physical - when i turmed 63 i received a letter from New Jersey motor vehicle division that i must have a stress test in 60 days or my cdl would be terminated - - my health insurance carrier denied the test as being not medically necessary [ paid cost would be over $3,00.00 out of pocket ] - i questioned the ruling w/ state + was told i could appeal it at a hearing at motor Vehicule division at state capitol - their reasoning being that i had a slight heart problem 30 + years ago + was on cholesterol meds - went to the appeal with letters from 3 physicians + years of medical records + appeal was denied, + was told cdl would be terminated in 30 days, forced to leave my state job + take social security at 63 years old - the 30 days notice was not put into effect about 9 months later -

[Barry54]

Don’t you just love Uncle Sugar?

[rancher1913]

if it wasn't for the local chiropractor doing dot physicals, half the drivers around here would lose their licenses. i have had a cdl since i was 16, back then it was a chauffer's license, and am coming up on almost 50 years of off and on driving. just passed my dot and if i dont pass the next one in a couple of years im done with it and will retire. have some coworkers that have to get dot physicals every 6 months due to diabetes. never fear though, ai will be here to take over the trucking jobs.

[alfadan]

Yeah it's great if you're a type 2 diabetic on insulin. My job suddenly decided I need one because THEY chose me to drive a 1 ton truck with dot numbers. Oh, and other departments can put the fee on their company card, but not us! I guess I'll just "work through lunch" for a few days.

[cat-mechanic]

I get mine renewed yearly because I'm on blood pressure meds. Just fought them a couple months ago. Last year, my BMI was fine, and no sleep test needed. This year, I actually started at a gym and am down 20 pounds so far. How do I lose 20 pounds and my BMI go up? Dr absolutely would not budge on it. Went to another clinic and it was fine. Imagine that. I am hoping now that I am at the gym regularly that my health will improve, and I can even ditch the blood pressure meds and go back to every 2 years.

[Loudenboomer]

The physicals are a racket. Wished they could standardize them. At one time I was taking a DOT-driving, FAA-flying and NHRA-drag racing. None was good for the other!

[gwpercle]

The nurse told me anyone with a BMI of 40 or above is now required to get a sleep apnea test. He said previously the doctor could just say that you were healthy and waive it. But they (the government) are really cracking down on it now.

I wonder why ?

For the longest time they were all concerned about blood pressure , blood pressure , blood pressure ... and they made sure you took at least one , if not two or three blood pressure prescriptions !!!
Now they want as many as posible to sleep wearing a mask hooked up to a sleep apnea machine ... somebody is making big money on it somewhere along the line .
Gary

[WILCO]

The physicals are a racket.

That's a fact!

[Remmy4477]

For the longest time they were all concerned about blood pressure , blood pressure , blood pressure ... and they made sure you took at least one , if not two or three blood pressure prescriptions !!!
Now they want as many as posible to sleep wearing a mask hooked up to a sleep apnea machine ... somebody is making big money on it somewhere along the line .
Gary

My wife had a sleep apnea test two years ago, tested on a cold bed, one sheet, hard pillow and in a cold room. Needless to say she failed and did not get a wink of sleep all night.
Her doctor tried to have a pay day with her. She told him politely where he could stick his test equipment! So proud of her!
Her new doctor could care less about any sleep apnea.

Yep a scam! That's my total feelings about this issue! I'm just glad I passed!

[MaryB]

My wife had a sleep apnea test two years ago, tested on a cold bed, one sheet, hard pillow and in a cold room. Needless to say she failed and did not get a wink of sleep all night.
Her doctor tried to have a pay day with her. She told him politely where he could stick his test equipment! So proud of her!
Her new doctor could care less about any sleep apnea.

Yep a scam! That's my total feelings about this issue! I'm just glad I passed!

My doc has pushed for it because my chronic sinusitis wakes me up at night. I flat out told her that no, it is not sleep apnea, it is that ball of snot blocking the back of my throat making it hard to breath. And no the test will be useless, I sleep on memory foam and a narrow temp range where I am comfortable plus a strange bed and I don't sleep. Last time I had a bout of foot infection the nurses kept asking me why I was awake... gee it can't be all the NOISE in this place...

[Barry54]

Not that I would attempt sleeping hooked to their dreaded breathing machines, but if one were to be prescribed, how would the DOT physical test facility know if you used the thing?

Or as long as the billing is occurring, all is well?

My wife and I went camping one weekend last spring. We were giggling quietly at the group of dads and their city kids setting up camp and attempting to build a fire and cook on the disaster. Later overheard one of the whiny kids asking the dad if he remembered to bring his sleep apnea machine. Don’t they need 120 volt ac?

[john.k]

Guy I knew was a semi trailer owner driver,massively overweight ,his feet and ankles were like 10" dia and green and blue ..........He was obviously passing medicals ,so I got his doctors name ......an Indian doc.............friend of mine who turned 75 had to get a medical for his licences ,went to the 'wrong' doc ,and next hes forced to get $3000 stress testing and heart specialist reports.

[hc18flyer]

I get a little conflicted here? I am a long time Class A CDL holder. I am also an active volunteer EMT with my community. Several years ago I responded to a truck accident on a rural highway, the driver likely had a diabetic episode, and lost conciousness? The driver asked us if we had to report the accident? My family and friends drive that highway every day. hc18flyer

[fayettefatts]

Here's a little tip for you. If you have sleep apnea, use the c-pap!!! It is a bit annoying, but you get used to it, and you will feel much better, and maybe live longer.

[Barry54]

Yeah it's great if you're a type 2 diabetic on insulin. My job suddenly decided I need one because THEY chose me to drive a 1 ton truck with dot numbers. Oh, and other departments can put the fee on their company card, but not us! I guess I'll just "work through lunch" for a few days.

It’s ridiculous over the top. Teenagers ride around in the same truck chewing bubble gum (or tobacco) and it’s fine. But you’re getting a paycheck so now you fall under DOT.

[JSnover]

My last DOT physical failed twice because the examiner wouldn't accept approvals from a family or general practitioner. He said it has to be someone familiar with DOT requirements and verbiage. In other words, your doctor might be great but he probably doesn't understand what the DOT regs are really saying.

[alfadan]

It’s ridiculous over the top. Teenagers ride around in the same truck chewing bubble gum (or tobacco) and it’s fine. But you’re getting a paycheck so now you fall under DOT.

And any Joe Schmo can get an RV bigger than my house or tow a 50ft high fifth wheel and all is well.

[white eagle]

Yeah I am fighting with the doc on the sleep apnea thing as well
asked about the implant for S.A. but he said I was to fat for it
well bust my buttons.....

[Barry54]

Pretty soon they are going to run out of people to pay taxes and work. Maybe that’s the goal?

[flyer1]

My boss and I are going to get a class a cdl. First time for both of us. Need it to haul our sky tracks around. Both of us also fly and get FAA flight physicals. Neither of us have done the dot physical. What are we in for?

[john.k]

It pays to check around before getting a medical .........here ,if you get an adverse medical,the doctor is required to notify the licence people by law ......and there is no second try ,you have to front specialists in the field you were failed at ........a consultation starts at around $500............I may be banned for saying this.....but there is a very good reason you see so many drivers with turbans ............there was a truck back ender outside my house ,and before the cops came ,a car turned up with a different driver ,and took the crash driver away.............more recently ,a truck forced a car over and thru my front fence ,the car driver simply got out and ran off .......when the cops came the truck driver made a statement ...I told him to shut up....there was no contact with the car ,he should have stayed quiet.

[Iron369]

I had to get a physical for my class b cdl every year. Had to get printed copies of the usage on my cpap. Real pita.

[Barry54]

I had to get a physical for my class b cdl every year. Had to get printed copies of the usage on my cpap. Real pita.

Thanks. I was wondering if they could tell if you used it somehow.

[Iron369]

Thanks. I was wondering if they could tell if you used it somehow.

Mine had a sd card in it that I had to take to the respiratory therapist to get a print out. Some of the fancier machines have an app on your phone that you can use to have compliance statements emailed to your doctor or whoever does the physical.

[Remmy4477]

It pays to check around before getting a medical .........here ,if you get an adverse medical,the doctor is required to notify the licence people by law ......and there is no second try ,you have to front specialists in the field you were failed at ........a consultation starts at around $500............I may be banned for saying this.....but there is a very good reason you see so many drivers with turbans ............there was a truck back ender outside my house ,and before the cops came ,a car turned up with a different driver ,and took the crash driver away.............more recently ,a truck forced a car over and thru my front fence ,the car driver simply got out and ran off .......when the cops came the truck driver made a statement ...I told him to shut up....there was no contact with the car ,he should have stayed quiet.

Been seeing some of that here in the Denver area. Lots of foreign truck drivers along with lots of accidents happening, almost always a tractor trailer involved.
The industry has been hit with a so called driver shortage these last few years, personally think it's due to the DOT. So some company's are importing drivers, The company's pay for there stay here, help getting them the CDL, give them a job contingent on one to two years of them working just for them. I'm guessing 65-75% of those folks should not be even behind the wheel of a bicycle!

Two local CDL training facility's have just recently been shut down by the DOT, they were caught just selling the paperwork required to get your license. 300 graduates at one center had there licenses suspended and are now required to retest at a state approved training center.

The trucking industry is upside down and butay backwards than it's ever been.

[Barry54]

Mine had a sd card in it that I had to take to the respiratory therapist to get a print out. Some of the fancier machines have an app on your phone that you can use to have compliance statements emailed to your doctor or whoever does the physical.

I’m glad I escaped all that nonsense! I sleep all over the place. I bet it would look like a one man wrestling match if someone took a time-lapse video of me sleeping.

[Remmy4477]

Mine had a sd card in it that I had to take to the respiratory therapist to get a print out. Some of the fancier machines have an app on your phone that you can use to have compliance statements emailed to your doctor or whoever does the physical.

Have one driver at work who goes through the same as you, he says it's a pia to get it turned in.

[2TM101]

Class A Flight Physicals can be scary too. But even Sully Sullenberger (guy who landed in the Hudson river after birds took out both engines) had to stop flying airliners when he was my age.

I *almost* became a trucker - but thats was right when the Oil Embargo hit and cars were doing the alternate license plate to buy gas BS

[Alstep]

All the regs today are enough to give anybody hypertension and sleep apnea.

Glad I'm not driving any more, gave it up almost 40 years ago. Between the regs, log books, ICC/DOT inspections, physicals, hazmat, unions, and crazys on the road, all the aggravation just not worth it.

[panhed65]

the whole cdl thing has been out of hand for years. I still have my cdl, but put it to sleep, as I no longer drive. mostly drove cranes, but also anything that needed to be done. years ago I dropped the hazmat when they wanted to fingerprint me and make me pay for it. last physical, I could not pass the hearing test. here in pa, they get behind you and whisper at you. I can hear it, but after what I did in the army, and what I did since that for fun (loud motorcycles, and even louder guns) I cannot tell what they are whispering. not sure why that keeps you from driving, where is the ada? anyhow at 75, no desire to drive a big rig again so will give it up at next renewal.
Barry

[fatelk]

I don't drive a truck or have a CDL, but I was told I have sleep apnea a few years ago and the doctor seemed happy when he prescribed a cpap. I tried one and it was the most miserable week of my life. I know they've been great for a lot of people who really need them, probably saved a lot of lives, but I absolutely hated it. Our chiropractor chewed me out for not using it if the doctor prescribed it. I'm not heavy or unhealthy.

I finally went to another doctor, who referred me to another specialist who determined that I had "positional" sleep apnea, that it's a structural thing that I've probably had all my life, and when I roll onto my back in my sleep, my tongue relaxes and blocks my breathing. He also said that some people simply can't tolerate a cpap machine. He pointed me towards a special hard pillow that I strap to my back every night that prevents me from rolling onto my back. It works amazingly well. It wasn't easy to find the right doctor with the right knowledge, but it was worth it.

Part of my problem with a cpap was probably psychological, a revulsion at being hooked up to a machine, and I do suspect that there's BIG money in these machine since they seem to want to get everyone attached to them. Again, I realize that many people really do need them, and for them they're a lifesaver, but I'm sure glad I don't have to mess with one.

[Thundarstick]

This is an interesting thread. Almost all the farmers here bouts have gone to using semi trucks to haul grain. NONE are required to have truck inspections or a CDL! Most don't run on interstate highways, but do run state highways. Know anything about that?

[Barry54]

This is an interesting thread. Almost all the farmers here bouts have gone to using semi trucks to haul grain. NONE are required to have truck inspections or a CDL! Most don't run on interstate highways, but do run state highways. Know anything about that?

I think they are allowed 100 or 50 miles as the crow flies. Farm tags are way cheaper than commercial tags too.

[truckerdave397]

My boss and I are going to get a class a cdl. First time for both of us. Need it to haul our sky tracks around. Both of us also fly and get FAA flight physicals. Neither of us have done the dot physical. What are we in for?
Blood pressure test, hearing test, probably a sugar test. Make sure your arms and hands work as they should. Vision test, hernia test. If you can pass a flight physical you are probably good. Dot physicals are good for 2 years unless you are on blood pressure medication then only good for a year. Cost for me in my area is $70-100. My biggest issue is they take my clothes off and stick me in a cold room for about an hour just to put me in a foul mood. Good luck.

[BrassMagnet]

Not that I would attempt sleeping hooked to their dreaded breathing machines, but if one were to be prescribed, how would the DOT physical test facility know if you used the thing?

Or as long as the billing is occurring, all is well?

My wife and I went camping one weekend last spring. We were giggling quietly at the group of dads and their city kids setting up camp and attempting to build a fire and cook on the disaster. Later overheard one of the whiny kids asking the dad if he remembered to bring his sleep apnea machine. Don’t they need 120 volt ac?

Because it REPORTS you usage and results to them!

[Barry54]

Because it REPORTS you usage and results to them!

That’s exactly what I needed to know! I’m disappointed in myself for not suspecting that initially.

[Mauser88]

Not that I would attempt sleeping hooked to their dreaded breathing machines, but if one were to be prescribed, how would the DOT physical test facility know if you used the thing?

Or as long as the billing is occurring, all is well?

My wife and I went camping one weekend last spring. We were giggling quietly at the group of dads and their city kids setting up camp and attempting to build a fire and cook on the disaster. Later overheard one of the whiny kids asking the dad if he remembered to bring his sleep apnea machine. Don’t they need 120 volt ac?

My Wife just got the Inspire implant. Now she sleeps like a Baby!!

[jimdeere]

Just tell them your name is Jose Jimanez and you're here in the country illegally. You won't need no steenking CDL.

[Remmy4477]

Just tell them your name is Jose Jimanez and you're here in the country illegally. You won't need no steenking CDL.

LOL, that might work?

[lightman]

I gave up my Class A CDL when I retired. They had a scam going on around here. During your physical a "foreign" speaking doctor would come up behind you and whisper something that you couldn't understand then they would send you across town to one of his doctor buddies for an expensive hearing test. The company paid for my license when I worked but the cost would have been on me once I retired. No Thanks!