A DOT Physical Helps To Keep The Roads Safe To Travel

By Lawanda Burch


Keeping the roads safe to travel normally falls on the Department of Transportation. There is a division within the agency that tries to ensure that the people who are operating the big trucks that move supplies across the country and within cities are healthy enough to perform the job without unnecessary complications. One of the practices they employ is by having drivers of the vehicles pass a DOT physical before they are giving a new certificate to keep on operating the big trucks. There are several health issues that the agency tends to be more concerned about than others and failure to pass some parts of the test can result in the driver becoming decertified to operate large vehicles.

Having good eyesight can determine whether one will be able to gain or hold onto a commercial drivers license. Those who have good eyesight and can see things clearly will not have a problem with this aspect of the examination. However, those who cannot see well will need to obtain eye glasses or some type of corrective surgery to restore their eyesight be able to continue driving.

One of the first things that will be checked on a driver is their blood pressure. High blood pressure can create problems for a driver. They could end up losing their license or be denied to get a license.

What will happen to a driver with high blood pressure depends on high the pressure reading is. Those who are slightly higher can get a conditional license that can last anywhere from three months to a year. Those with very high levels might have to stay off the road until they get their pressure back under control.

A person should expect to have their sugar levels checked. This is done to determine is one has developed a case of diabetes. Uncontrolled diabetes has been known to cause people to become unconscious without much warning. People suffering from a bout of high sugar levels have also been known to become disoriented and not know what is happening around them. Both conditions can be hazardous when driving a vehicle.

Diabetes can be controlled through the use of medication like metformin. A person who controls their blood sugar using this method can still quality for a license. However, drivers who need to use injectable insulin will probably have to find a new career in the industry.

Another area that gets scrutinized is the health of the cardiovascular system. Those who are suffering from cardiac problems may not be able to operate a large vehicle anymore. One should expect to pass a stress test to see how advance the heart disease is before they can be cleared to continue working in their current capacity in the transportation field.

A DOT physical is done for each driver to make sure they are healthy enough to operate trucks safely. The agencies want to make sure there are not any health problems that could affect their ability to do their job. Failure to pass the tests could interfere with their ability to continue on in their current occupation.




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