TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Unhealthy Truckers Levy Toll On Lives

ADVERTISEMENT

By HOPE YEN The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 22, 2008

WASHINGTON - Hundreds of thousands of tractor-trailer and bus drivers in the United States carry commercial driver's licenses despite also having health issues that qualify for full disability payments, according to a federal report to be released Thursday.

Some of those drivers have suffered seizures, heart attacks or unconscious spells, the Government Accountability Office study obtained by The Associated Press said.

The report said 563,000 commercial drivers were determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Labor Department or Social Security Administration to also be eligible for full disability benefits because of health concerns. It said disability doesn't necessarily mean a driver is unfit to operate a commercial vehicle, but investigators found examples that raised doubts about the safety of the nation's highways.

Among them is a Florida substitute bus driver who suffers from lung disease and uses three inhalers to control breathing. The driver, who was not identified, told congressional investigators he "occasionally blacks out and forgets things" but has no problems driving a passenger bus.

Truckers violating federal medical rules have been caught in every state, according to the AP's review of 7.3 million commercial driver violations compiled by the Transportation Department in 2006, the latest data available.

Florida ranked fourth behind Texas, Maryland and Georgia in the number of medical violations - 8,061 - found during 79,369 inspections in 2006 by Florida and federal authorities, the majority of which were conducted along the roadside.

Inspections in Hillsborough County accounted for 407 medical violations, those in Pasco County for 214 and those in Pinellas County, 50.

Among the violations that can be cited are having no medical certificate, showing an improper medical examination form or not possessing a valid medical waiver.

"Florida is a state with enormous numbers of trucks and motor coaches and commercial drivers, but it is hard to know whether or not this is a factor in why the state does so poorly," said Jackie Gillan, vice president of the Washington-based Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

From 2001 to 2006, the latest year fatality figures are available from the U.S. Department of Transportation, there were 2,233 fatalities in Florida involving trucks, regardless of the cause of the crashes.

"In 2006, there were 350 fatalities," Gillan said. "That is equivalent to three major plane crashes."

That 2006 figure is lower than any year in Florida since 2000, when 310 fatalities were reported. By comparison, Florida reported 3,365 deaths in all traffic crashes in 2006, a state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles report study showed.

A spokesman for the Florida Trucking Association said anyone who is driving with a medical condition that potentially can result in a crash is of concern to the group.

"We know that every two years, drivers are required by state statute to take a medical exam that we hope would prevent many potential incidents," said Matt Ubben, vice president of public affairs for the Florida association. "There are certain obligations on the part of drivers themselves to know if they are fit to drive."

The American Trucking Associations said the industry is the safest it has been since record-keeping began.

The report "fails to disclose the fact that more than 70 percent of car-truck crashes are caused by passenger car drivers," said Tiffany Wlazlowski, a spokeswoman for the national association.

The problems threatening highway travelers persist despite years of government warnings and hundreds of deaths and injuries blamed on commercial truck and bus drivers who blacked out, collapsed or suffered major health problems behind the wheels of vehicles that can weigh 40 tons or more.

The U.S. agency responsible for cracking down on unfit truckers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, acknowledges it hasn't completed any of eight recommendations that regulators have proposed since 2001.

One would set minimum standards for officials who determine whether truckers are medically safe to drive. Another would prevent truckers from "doctor shopping" to find one who might overlook a risky health condition.

The chief safety officer for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Rose McMurray, acknowledged problems that could lead to unfit truck drivers on the roads.

She blamed delays in reforms on a lack of federal money and difficulty coordinating with states.

McMurray said that changes to strengthen the medical oversight program may not be done for months, even years.

"We have a major public safety problem, and we haven't corrected it," said Gerald Donaldson, senior research director at the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety association, whose members include consumer, health and safety groups and insurance companies.

Tribune reporter Ted Jackovics contributed to this report.

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT