WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is considering whether to amend its medical qualifications standards to allow drivers with insulin- treated diabetes mellitus (ITDM) to operate commercial trucks in interstate commerce.

Truckers whose physical conditions are adequate to allow them to operate safely and without deleterious effects on their health may soon find it easier to haul out-of-state. Currently, drivers with ITDM are required to obtain exemptions — not an easy task — to operate heavy trucks in interstate commerce.

FMCSA may eliminate exemption requirement for three years
of trucking experience while being treated with insulin

Any action to revise the current standard would be made in conformity with the changes in FMCSA’s existing authority to establish, review and revise physical and medical qualification standards for drivers made by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act with the assistance of expert medical advice, the agency said.

Some of the changes to the exemption program FMCSA is considering, include the elimination of the requirement for three years of experience operating CMVs while being treated with insulin.

The agency is also trying to establish if states have any evidence as to whether ITDM drivers are as safe, safer, or less safe than non-insulin- treated diabetic drivers or non-diabetic drivers. FMCSA would like these states to provide such evidence or identify any sources where FMCSA may obtain such evidence.

FMCSA is also seeking comments from other stakeholders if new and emerging therapies for treatment of diabetes mellitus should be considered in reviewing and revising the current standard.

Relaxing medical requirements for drivers may also attract potential truckers to the industry. The agency is also trying to figure out how many individuals with ITDM are likely to enter the driver pool if the current medical standards are changed to allow them to drive in interstate commerce?

Restrictions on diabetic drivers in the U.S. stretches back to 1940 when commercial truckers were subject to urine glucose tests as part of medical examinations. In 1971, the Federal Highway Administration (the predecessor to FMCSA) established a blanket ban for drivers with ITDM, mainly because several crash studies indicated that drivers with ITDM had higher rates of crashes compared to the general driving population.

However, in the 1990s, the agency began granting waivers on a case-by-case basis, based on new risk assessment that showed that the level of crashes of drivers with ITDM was similar to that of drivers without diabetes.