DOT physical

[JEHJR]

Well I just got my first medical card in 40 years. I have to say this whole thing S_ _ks. I worked in construction then landed a job on a fire department. So now that I am retired and between careers this notice comes in the mail that says if I don't get a medical card they will convert my CDL into an operators license.

So this notice comes 30 days before my birthday. Happy birthday from your government!

So I have my annual physical at 8:00 I walk next door to the other office in the same medical park to see a nurse for my DOT physical. I tell the nurse I just had a physical 15 minutes ago. No problem you should pass, she says.

Eye test, 25 something. I said my glasses are $600 and my sight is corrected 20/20. Just had my yearly 3 weeks ago. NOPE, you can only read line 9. Perfect!
Balance test, bend over touch your toes, bull sht, bull sht.
Take off your shirt, breath in and out until you feel light headed, just great.
Blood pressure, seems very high. No sht, just had one physical by a doctor. Had an eye exam, by a doctor. Had hearing test, by a doctor. I have a urologist because I had my prostate removed 17 months ago because of cancer. But this nurse is making me jump hurtles because she can.

Then just to show who's the boss, she says drop your pants and underwear. I tell her I just did this for my Dr. Oh come on it won't take long! "I know how big it is, I know it won't take long!"

$400 for a physical with my doctor then 15 minutes later another $80 for a nurse to do the same test. How fn stupid is that? Needless to say I was so cranked my wife called my doctor and he put me on medication! Just FN perfect.

I love our government.

 

[JEHJR]

Why would comments be deleted?

 

[Tazz]

Because they have no place outside politics.

Look we all want the 400 lb heart attacks off the road. That means we all submit to a physical. It is a requirement to hold a CDL. I have issues with some of the policies, but do support requiring a physical.

 

[JEHJR]

Tazz, thanks for the response. I will drop my pants as quick as anyone for the right reason. You may think you are doing the right thing but at what cost? I have seen men have a heart attack the day after a physical. I have been to truck accident when the person in a car had a heart attack.
I had a physical 15 minutes before the nurse gave me one. She had a form and had to put a check in every box. Why could I not have had a form that my Doctor could have checked then gave that to the nurse or government representative?
I want all drunks off the road, unfortunately we still have a constitution to live by. Even if some choose not to read it.
You may submit to this because you think it is worth it. Wait until they pass another page to this that takes you off the pay role. How about a college education? How about reading, writing, and speaking English? We could add numerous other requirements but you get my point. Not every truck driver has the cash flow to accommodate all these new mandates.

You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it.
Malcolm X (1925 - 1965)

 

[Tazz]

This career has costs. You chose to get your yearly physical from your Doc. Did you ask if he is DOT certified?

I understand heart attacks can happen tomorrow, that does not mean we should ignore people with precursors to those ailments.

High blood pressure, hernias, bad eye sight, ailments that require medications that impair performance, lack of color vision.......all of these should and do preclude the safe operation of a CMV. To check for these we as a society require the passing of a basic physical.

Now if you want to get ailments exempted, feel free to advocate that, write your congressman, submit comments to the FMCSA when they are promulgating these regulations. All of those may garner you results, and are acceptable on the board.

Posting of political rants are accepted in the politics threads.

If your point was you do not like getting a physical, your first post explaining that fact was left alone as well as the issues you had with it. Next time find a different Dr, check to see if your personal Dr can do it, or just let the license go.

 

[Duck]

I posted this morning where did they go?

I think it went here: http://www.truckersforum.net/forum/threads/political-funnies.79771/page-25#post-435046

 

[JEHJR]

You're right Tazz, I had discussions while serving in the legislator about poly graph testing. Our PD started to use them for pre employment. It was unfortunate that they were looking for people that cheated that first brought the subject up. In order to get it in place they called it a pre employment tool.

They first started checking eye sight and have moved further and further away from the original goal. SSI started with great intentions. This was never about politics although everything is about politics.

I read the material the certified examiner is looking at, 1 leg shorter than another? Really? When 1 company brags about conducting 750,000 exams in one year there is way too much money involved for any one person to fight. But I made my point and it seems most are willing to go along. So like the poly graph test I can pass and it won't affect me.

My doctor was/is certified. He said when I went back to talk to him about this; he had men come in for their physical get what they needed to pass and he never seen them again. It was not how he wanted to practice medicine. He also took issue with the volume of paper work that was coming into his office and the amount of staff time it took to manage that documentation.

Thanks for your time, Happy Fourth of July