Norfolk, VA Truck Accident Injury Lawyer Report – New Medical Regulations for Truckers Approach

The days are ticking down to a deadline for states to report their plans on how truckers must verify their medical certification with state licensing agencies.

But 10 states still don’t have a plan in place ahead of the Jan. 30, 2012 deadline.

“The Association of American of Motor Vehicle Administrators, is reporting that 41 out of 51, which includes the District of Columbia, have a plan for accepting the newly required documentation,” reported the TruckFlix website.

The new regulation that goes into effect on Jan. 30 will mandate all Commercial Driver’s License holders and applicants to provide proof of their medical certification to their home state licensing agency.

“The regulation will eventually require by Jan. 30, 2014, that agencies input the proof of certification into the commercial driver’s license information system – dubbed CDLIS by the feds – to give roadside law enforcement access to the certification and CDL electronically,” TruckFlix reported.

As well as providing medical certification, drivers will be asked to state whether they are interstate drivers and whether they work in an exempt part of the industry – school bus drivers and fire department personnel are among those who are exempt.

Medical conditions in the trucking industry have become an issue in recent years in relation to accidents caused by big rigs. In some cases truckers have fallen asleep at the wheel, causing crashes have had conditions such as sleep apnea.

in 2011 the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee met to discuss guidance for medical examiners to identify commercial drivers who are likely to suffer from sleep disorders, to define conditional certification, and to establish what constitutes immediate disqualification.

Fatigue accounts for about 13 percent of trucking accidents. Prescription drug use, another factor linked to medical conditions, is one of the largest causes of trucking accidents, accounting for a quarter of wrecks.

As experienced Norfolk, VA truck accident injury attorneys we are concerned about the link between ill health, prescription medication and truck wrecks and welcome moves to regulate the system more closely.