A law went into effect some time ago requiring you to have your DOT physical on record with the DMV or your CDL would be null and void! Aka your screwed... Well I did just that and went in for a physical turned it in and got a letter today stating I have been downgraded because it's not on file... Complete BS but I have to do it again by 7/30/14 or I lose my CDL for good............................. Watch yourselves and get proof you turned it in to the DMV or you might get screwed too.
Lotsa new rules. Thankfully, my employer is completely by the book, and they make sure everything is in line, all the time. I am always signing one form or another, seems like about once a week. I switched trailers for about a year and a half, and I was amazed at the condition of many of the drivers bringing product in. Some doctor actually said these guys were fit to drive? Half of them were walking heart attacks. I watched a guy so fat that he couldn't swing his leg up to the bottom step to get in the cab. He had to use his hands and actually lift his foot up to the step. That's all changing. No complaints here.
"I watched a guy so fat that he couldn't swing his leg up to the bottom step to get in the cab. He had to use his hands and actually lift his foot up to the step." ... yeah, but I'll bet he's quick as a cat on those pedals and sticks and steering wheel and levers and switches and...
Brother I am all for the new laws! Especially the logs…. Just not for having to do this twice out of pocket because some body forgot to file the papers. I was actually told " Sir we get you guys all the time! Don't come in here and try to lie your way past us your not the first " I complained immediately to the office manager who apologized profussly and publicly yelled at the counter clerk and proceeded to tell me that I still have to pay all over again! In all fairness the manager was very polite to me but couldn't find any record of my physical. I have the DOT exam papers they just aren't new enough which is odd because they are current...
Wow... well, how about keeping copies of what you hand to them next time? Obviously they can't seem to get it together.
There wasn't much just show them the documents and the put in the computer ( supposedly ) the exam info. The kept the original exam papers though.
Ah, the runaround. I scanned mine and emailed it as an attachment. You are talking about Michigan SoS, right?
Thank heavens all the south o' the border drivers will be legal in the USA soon, huh? I hear they're all on the straight and narrow and driving the newest, safest equipment in the Western Hemisphere! (Do I need to add a sarcasm tag?)
That sucks Pete I hate it when someone screws up and you have to deal with the crap to straighten it out especially when it costs ya , Mo Money
We have learned the hard way to keep copies of everything sent to a government or doctor's office. Re-doing forms is frustrating and more money spent.
Don't even get me started on the ridiculousness the .gov has for CDL drivers. I've seen stuff as stupid as a cracked marker light get turned into somehow seeming as if it was a rolling deathtrap about ready to kill a school full of kids and the DOT has saved the world.
I'm all for increased regs after seeing some of the drivers here at work. Rolling damm near 80k gross and looking like they have death knocking on their door scares me.
When I started driving you could really fudge a log and not get caught then after a few years that went away... The regs are a good thing in my opinion and to be honest it's not like the movies portray it at all. 95% of the people I met or trained where their to feed the family and not to be one of the idiots on the CB. You know the 5% that are there to act like they are a cowboy or a southern hillbilly are the ones on the CB talking with a fake accent! The funny thing is I turn of my CB unless traffic is bad and I need info. In today's world most companies use Qualcomm GPS and some states flat out require it so if you lie on your logs and drive longer than you supposed to your in deep doodoo. In reality it's a very professional world these days.
I'm relatively new to the CDL world and I don't drive but needed to have one for work just in case. I also found out yesterday the state doesn't have any record of my med card on file. From what I understand it was supposed to be my responsibility to file it with them? The boss is checking into scanning and emailing them a copy.
Yes, it has been announced for 2-3 years and the deadline was 30 Jan 2014. This is for older licenses though. If it's a recent license, the DMV checked the med card before issuing the CDL and took down the info. (well... at least AK DMV is) If you are non-compliant they will send a letter out and your CDL is not usable until corrected. As far as the regs, I don't agree with them. Remember that CDL is not just for a trucker in an 18 wheeler. A pickup truck can require a class A. GCWR of greater than 26,000 pounds is all it takes. Many of the newer pickups are rated to 30,000lbs GCWR. Take that 14k rated duallie with a heavier than 12k trailer and boom... need a CDL. How about the gramps in the ginormous RV? 450hp diesel, air brakes, as large as a Greyhound bus... nothing required?! Or how about the kid in a big U-Haul? Can barely handle a Prius, but now is legally driving a 28ft box truck? I don't have to keep a log book (local haul) but then they came down and said I have to keep timecards. Uh... I am owner, operator, worker, secretary, etc... why would I punch in?! Basically I "work" 24 hrs a day!
