Truck Drivers May be Forging Medical Certificates

It is frightening to think that drivers of tractor-trailers may be fabricating medical certificates that are required to operate commercial trucks. That means there could be medically unfit truck drivers causing truck accidents in Tennessee.

A study by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee found that there are so few controls over how truck drivers obtain medical certificates that it’s “relatively easy for a motivated commercial driver to circumvent the physical examination requirement.” There are also no databases or central repositories that give state inspectors the opportunity to verify the legitimacy of a medical certificate.

What does that mean for Tennessee drivers? Major truck accidents may be caused by truck drivers who should never have been behind the wheel of the commercial vehicle to begin with.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee study reviewed a sample of 614 medical certificates obtained from truck drivers at roadside inspections in California, Illinois and Ohio. When the committee’s staff tried to contact the examiners listed on the medical certificates, only 407 could be verified as valid.

One doctor commented that forged medical certificates has become commonplace. However, if medically unfit truck drivers are on the roads, the chances of a serious semi truck accident increases dramatically. In a 1999 motor coach accident in New Orleans that killed 22 people, it was discovered that the bus driver had life-threatening kidney and heart conditions, but still had a valid license and medical certificate. One passenger witnessed the driver slumped in his seat just moments before the fatal crash.

Drivers of tractor-trailers have been known to suffer seizures, heart attacks or have become unconscious while behind the wheel. These conditions have been linked to thousands of severe large truck accidents across the United States.

How can these truck drivers, who shouldn’t be operating commercial vehicles, be stopped? The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that examiners who certify truck drivers as medically fit be qualified and know what to look out for. The agency has also recommended that a system be put into place to track medical certificate applications and prevent truck drivers from shopping doctors.

If you have been injured in a Tennessee tractor-trailer accident, contact the experienced truck accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates at (800) 337-HURT (4878) or (615) 356-2000 for expert legal advice. Truck accident cases can be complex and we have extensive experience representing injured victims of large truck crashes.

Phillip Miller & Associates
631 Woodland Street
Nashville, TN 37206
Phone: (615) 356-2000
Fax: (615) 242-1739
Toll Free: (800) 337-HURT

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