The National Transportation Safety Board, wrapping up its investigation into a fatal 1999 bus crash, is recommending tougher physicals and procedures for prospective employers to find out about drug problems.
On Mother's Day 1999, a motorcoach crashed outside New Orleans, killing 22 passengers. Driver Frank Bedell was discovered to be in extremely poor health, with heart disease and kidney failure, and tested positive for marijuana after the crash. The resulting NTSB investigation highlighted how truck and bus drivers like Bedell, who had a valid DOT medical card, can slip through cracks in the commercial driver oversight system.
During a public meeting Tuesday, the board said that among the major safety issues identified in the accident were the inadequacy of the medical certification process and the absence of a way to identify drivers who have tested positive for drugs.
The board called "the failure of the medical certification process to remove unfit drivers … a systemic, not an isolated, problem." Among the problems:
Those who perform medical examinations - doctors, chiropractors, nurse practitioners and physician's assistants - may not have the knowledge of commercial driving needed to determine whether a medical condition poses a danger. Although there are information sources available to help, many practitioners don't know about them.
Regulations on medical certification don't reflect current medical knowledge and can be ambiguous regarding conditions that call for disqualification.
There is no process for driver medical examination forms to be reviewed; drivers must carry the card, but the form is simply filed away.
There is no way to track medical certification exams. That lets drivers "doctor shop" - keep trying different doctors until they find one who will pass them.
There is no way for enforcement authorities to know if a medical card is valid during an inspection.
