Expect More Flexibility in Rules

The federal government recognizes that it takes more than good vision to make a good truck driver.

Under provisions of the sweeping highway bill enacted in June, the Federal Highway Administration has greater authority to grant waivers and exemptions to driver qualification rules like vision requirements, as well as regulations like hours of service and maintenance and inspection standards.

FHWA used its new powers to exempt 24 drivers with deficient eyesight from federal standards. The drivers had exemplary safety records but did not meet federal standards that require drivers to have at least 20/40 vision in each eye.

The agency has been looking into how good a driver’s vision must be to operate a truck safely ever since a 1992 test program granted similar exemptions to 2,000 drivers with impaired vision in one eye.

In 1994, a federal court shut down the program after ruling that FHWA could not prove it would not jeopardize safety.

After a Minnesota truck driver successfully challenged federal vision standards under the Americans with Disabilities Act, FHWA issued 12 more exemptions to drivers under similar circumstances.

For the full story, see the Dec. 28 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.