Florida Injury Attorney Blog

In order for a semi truck driver to safely and legally operate a semi truck on the roads, he or she must be physically qualified to do so.  That means the semi truck driver must see a certified medical professional who must examine the semi truck driver and confirm that he/she is healthy enough to drive a commercial motor vehicle. 

Unfortunately, there are numerous semi truck drivers out on the roads with commercial driver's licenses (CDL's) who are not healthy enough to drive and are causing serious injury accidents and fatal accidents.  Semi truck drivers falling asleep, having a heart attack or seizure or suffering from some other physical impairment were a leading cause of accidents involving semi trucks according to a federal study last year.  According to a recent article from the Associated Press, there are hundreds of thousands of semi truck drivers with CDL's who are receiving full disability benefits due to their health problems.  Truck drivers are having seizures, heart attacks and unconscious or dizzy spells while driving semi trucks and posing a serious threat to the safety of other drivers on the roads. 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is the government agency responsible for regulating the trucking industry and trying to prevent serious injury and fatal accidents involving semi trucks.  According to the article, the FMCSA has failed to set the proper standards to make sure semi truck drivers are healthy enough to drive a semi truck.  For instance, there is no minimum standard for who can determine whether a semi truck driver is healthy enough to drive.  Additionally, there is no regulation preventing doctor shopping so semi truck drivers are allowed to go to whichever doctor they know, from talking to other semi truck drivers, will sign off on their medical certificate.

According to the Associated Press review of commercial motor vehicle driver violations, Florida has one of the highest rates of medical rules violations in the U.S.