OriginalBigFoot |
02-13-2015 03:50 PM |
First off trucks in the US don't haul 40 tons of freight, they haul 20 tons and a bit. Next, it doesn't matter if you're in good health or not, the government just wants their fees from every angle available. Doctors are now a new revenue stream, and they (politicians) will continue to find new and creative ways to appease lobbyists and tax Americans no matter what we do! What good is the medical card? What purpose does it serve? None really, other than to generate federal dollars! When someone doesn't feel well, they go to the doctor, CDL or not! We do NOT have an epidemic of drivers having heart attacks and causing injury and death on the commercial highways, nor do we have them going into diabetic ketoacidosis! And how about those testicles guys? Imagine what would happen if we drove with a hernia?? What we do have is too many hands in our pockets! Doctors today are required (since May 2014) to post the results of the long form to a DOT database on the Internet. For this, they are charged a substantial annual fee for the license and a fee for each medical they do. This is why we pay $100 for a $25 physical!
This is not about safety and never has been. Just like the 1-5am (now suspended until Oct) breaks! Where is the safety in that? After 38 years on the road, 1-5am is my prime time to drive, and before last month, I had to park somewhere with my eyes wide open just to accommodate a law? And THEN get out on the road at 5:01am with 500,000 other trucks contributing to traffic and congestion??? Crazy stuff!
Even better: I have a CDL (State Police background check, $75) and Hazmat (TSA background check $100) and a TWIC (FBI background check $100). Now why in the world do you think we, as CDL drivers, would need a Transportation Workers Identification Card?? You guessed it! REVENUE!! The DOT is just like the rest of the federal government... gimme money!!! When the government says I'm here to help, get out your wallet!
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