A General Accounting Office study obtained by the Associated Press in advance of its release later this week found that more than half a million commercial drivers were also eligible for full disability benefits because of health issues.


According to AP, while that disability classification dosn't necessarily mean a driver is unfit to operate a commercial vehicle, GAO investigators "found alarming examples that raised doubts about the safety of the nation's highways. They identified more than 1,000 drivers with vision, hearing or seizure disorders, which generally would prohibit a trucker from obtaining a valide commercial license."

The GAO report was done at the request of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, led by Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., AP reports, which will conduct oversight hearings Thursday.

The AP reports that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration hasn't completed any of eight recommendations that U.S. safety regulators have proposed since 2001, such as setting minimum standards for the medical personnel who do the medical qualification exams, or preventing "doctor shopping" by truckers to find a physician that will overlook a potentially disqualifying health condition.

After the national media started picking up the AP report, the American Trucking Associations met with all four major television network news stations in efforts to counterbalance the negative publicity.

ATA Vice President of Safety, Security and Operations Dave Osiecki conducted on-camera interviews with Fox News, NBC, ABC and the CBS Evening News, during which he highlighted the safety record of the trucking industry. Osiecki referenced the fact that medical problems cause less than 3 percent of truck accidents, compared with speeding and aggressive driving, which account for 42 percent. He also reported that ATA supports improvements in the medical area, including updated and improved medical qualification standards and a National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners.