What Employers Need to Know About DOT
2Sources: American Trucking Association and the FMCSA
$310 billion annual revenue
11 billion tons of cargo
69%freight
tonnage
commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers
5.6 million
100,000motor carriers
About the Department of Transportation (DOT)
3https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-04-23/pdf/2015-09053.pdf
• Official governing body for commercial transportation
• Safety standards to protect employers, employees, and general public
Introduction
4
Current
45% by 2045
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) expects freight volume to increase
2045
Driver population
Retirement
Disqualified
Demand for qualified commercial drivers
Concentra and DOT
= 1,000 DOT exams performed by Concentra
• Perform more DOT exams than any other provider in the US
• Certify more drivers than any other medical provider
• Created a DOT FMCSA medical examiner training course
• Authored by Dr. Ellison Wittels, a noted expert on commercial driver certification
• Taught by nationally recognized experts
Concentra performs more than
700,000 DOT exams per year
6Source: FMCSA
$25,000 accident
$1.25M
A carrier must generate $1.25M to pay for the cost of a $25,000 accident.
7Source: FMCSA
In 2011
• 100,272 large vehicle crashes
• 3,054 fatal crashes
8Source: FMCSA
$200,000 accident
Assuming a 2% profit margin, a $200,000 accident will require $10M in revenue to make up the cost.
$10Min revenue
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has very strict guidelines on what a DOT physical must include:
• Driver health history
• Vision, hearing, blood pressure, pulse rate
• Overall physical ability
• Bring a complete list of current medications (include doses)
• Glasses, contacts, or hearing aids
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About DOT Physicals
Bring to DOT Exam
Glasses
Contacts
Prescriptions
Hearing Aid
Medical Record
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DOT Exam Details and Screening Elements
Blood PressureHearing
Physical Exam
UrinalysisVision
• Ears
• Eyes
• Mouth and throat
• Heart
• Lungs
• Brain and nervous system
• Musculoskeletal system
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DOT Exam Details and Screening Elements
Physical Exam
• As an employer you are allowed to have your own drug and alcohol testing program, but it must still comply with the appropriate DOT regulations.
• An employee must complete testing for controlled substances, prior to performing safety-sensitive functions for an employer.
• Employees may be subject to pre-employment and random testing, reasonable suspicion/reasonable cause, post-accident, and return-to-duty, as well for follow-up.
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Drug and Alcohol Testing Regulations - Drivers
Truck Drivers
Subway Contractors
Pilots
Pipeline Controllers
Locomotive Engineers
Airline Mechanics
Ship Captains
Bus DriversSubject
to testing
An FMCSA/TWU health survey of drivers reported high prevalence rates of physician diagnosed:
13
Source: Ferro referenced the CDC statistic on life expectancy of the commercial truck driver at 61 years, or 16 years lower than the national average.
FMCSA/TWU study: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/twu/pdfs/repeated-cross-sectional-assessment-of-commercial-truck-driver-health.pdf
National life expectancy average
Life expectancy of a commercial driver: X
9.0%
31.1%32.8%
Diabetes Mellitus BMI >35 Hypertension
16 years shorter
77 years
Regulations for Commercial Vehicles
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All non-exempt commercial motor vehicles that cross
state lines and meet specific criteria, including big-rig
trucks, are subject to the federal motor
carrier safety regulations
If operating within one state,
trucks need to abide by
state-equivalent motor carrier safety
regulations
Cover all persons and entities involved in operating commercial vehicles, including:
• Drivers
• Hiring managers
• Trainers
• Supervisors
• Managers
• Dispatchers
• Other people whose action affects drivers and commercial motor vehicles
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National Registry
CMV drivers must use MEs on the National Registry for their examinations
Complete training on FMCSA’s physical
qualification standards
Pass a certification
test
Demonstrate competence
through periodic
training and testing
Medical Examiners (ME)
New rule will require MEs to submit medical certification information daily
• Transmit to states electronically
• Aim to dramatically decrease chance of drivers falsifying medical certificates
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National Registry
40,000 certified MEs
Driver Health Can Impact Productivity
17
Source: From a 2015 study by the ATA (American Trucking Associationhttp://www.trucking.org/ATA%20Docs/News%20and%20Information/Reports%20Trends%20and%20Statistics/10%206%2015%20ATAs%20Driver%20Shortage%20Report%202015.pdf
Average Driver
• 49 years old
• May not have access to healthy food or exercise
• Chronic conditions
• Can delay or disqualify drivers from certification
Time to Stay Up-to-date
Common Issues Employers Face with DOT
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Because of the new regulations, drivers who want to extend limited certifications now have to take an entirely new exam—and incur a new exam fee.
Time for drivers to access medical examiners
Time to manage scheduling for driver physical so there are no gaps in certification
Time to learn about the frequently updated state and national regulations
Unfit Drivers Cost More
Recent Changes with DOT Regulations
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Updates to the MER and MEC forms
New health history questions
New statuses for interstate drivers (pending and incomplete)
Extending a limited certification will require an entirely new physical
Employers will no longer be able to add additional healthy history questions or their logo. Doing so will render them invalid.
• Driverless trucks
• Commercial train transportation
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Future of DOT
• Sleep apnea
• Sleeping and driving habits
• Productivity
New ways to transport
Data and metrics
Potential for new regulations on sleep apnea
• Drivers with untreated sleep apnea are five times as likely to get into preventable crashes as drivers without the condition
You can contact an expert to learn more about DOT and other occupational health topics at http://bit.ly/2f8iU8M
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Interested in Learning More?
National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (NRCME)
Resources for Additional Information and Questions
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• NRCME -https://nationalregistry.fmcsa.dot.gov/NRPublicUI/home.seam
• NRCME Resource Center includes sample forms, exam form FAQs, and National Registry FAQs -https://nationalregistry.fmcsa.dot.gov/ResourceCenter/
• NRCME DOT Physical Forms -https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/medical/driver-medical-requirements/medical-applications-and-forms
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
Concentra
• FMCSA regulations -https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/b/5/3
• FMCSA Rule Making documents including proposed and final rule content - https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/rulemaking
• FMCSA Driver Safety and Health FAQs -https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/faq/Medical-Requirements
• Concentra’s What to Bring to a DOT Physical -http://www.concentra.com/patients/physicals/dot-checklist/
• Download the new DOT Physical Exam forms -http://www.concentra.com/patients/health-library/dot-physicals/