You'll need a CDL to drive a big rig.
If you want to become a trucker, you'll need to obtain your Commercial Driver's License, or CDL. This license ensures that the tractor-trailer driver meets certain state guidelines. A driver must prove he or she has the knowledge and skills to drive this size truck, plus the driver must pass certain physical requirements. The physical exam can be performed by any licensed medical examiner and is good for two years.
Limbs Must Be Intact
Federal Regulations state that to qualify for a CDL, you must not be missing a foot, leg, hand, or arm. Also, you can't have an arm, hand, finger, leg, or foot problem that interferes with your ability to drive and operate the semi-truck. However, a skill performance evaluation is available for someone who has lost a limb, and if he passes this test, he may be able to use a prosthetic limb to operate the vehicle.
Certain Diseases and Disorders Are Disqualifiers
Drivers must be relatively healthy to qualify for a CDL. If you have diabetes mellitus and take insulin to control your symptoms, you are ineligible. Certain cardiovascular diseases, respiratory dysfunction, high blood pressure, epilepsy, or arthritic or neuromuscular disease that interferes with your ability to operate and control a truck may also disqualify you from a CDL.
No History of Psychosis Allowed
Applicants who have been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder do not meet the physical requirements for obtaining a CDL. Mental or nervous disorders are not allowed either.
Must Be Able to See
A qualified truck driver must be able to distinguish between red, green, and amber on a traffic light. He must have a distance visual acuity score of 20/40 and a distant binocular acuity in both eyes of 20/40, with or without corrective lenses. His field of vision must be good too, with at least 70 degrees horizontally in both eyes.
Good Hearing is a Must
A semi-truck driver must not have hearing loss of more than 40 decibels at 500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, and 2,000 Hz. This is with or without a hearing aid.
No Substance Abuse Problems
If you have a history of substance abuse, you can forget your dream of becoming a professional truck driver. Alcoholics are strictly prohibited. Amphetamine, narcotics, and other addictive drugs are forbidden unless they are prescribed by a doctor who is familiar with the driver's medical history and driving duties. If a drug will in any way impair the ability to drive and operate a truck safely, it is not allowed.
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