Question
I've been a driver for 17 years now. I've trained my wife and she is a good safe driver. The problem is she is insulin dependant. The state of Montana will give her a Class A CDL for in Montana only. To me this makes no sense. If she can drive at all , she should be able to drive everywhere. All she is going to do is team with me. So can anyone help us to find a waiver for her to be able to do so? If theres some rule about higher insurance or anything else to do with being a company driver, then we will get our own truck.
Answer
Wrongway,
Unfortunately there is no waiver available for insulin dependent diabetics. While it seems to make no sense to you there are reasons for this decision by the feds. It is the general consensus that by limiting the area that an insulin dependent driver can travel, the driver will more likely be compliant with medication, diet, exercise, etc. and prevent diabetic reactions while on duty.
Now before you lose hope, let me offer some suggestions. There have been major strides made in the past 2 years in the area of diabetic treatment. Have your wife speak to her doctor about some of the new medications available in pill form that have allowed some insulin dependent diabetics to return to oral medications. These medications aren't for everyone and it should be co-ordinated with a physician who is familiar with the newer treatments.
By the way, Mary has been kind enough to provide us with a link to some of the most current diabetic info. See the posts below this one. Good luck to you and your wife.
------------------
Keeping you safe, healthy, and on the road.
Nurse Red
Visit us at www.Truck.net/abmsVisit us at
Answer
I knew an insulin dependent diabetic who drove for ten years without an accident way back when. Regulations have changed though. I have to say his life was a very "measured one" and he measured his food portions meticulously to match his insulin. Nevertheless, the problem is that lack of alertness creeps up on a diabetic slowly and insidiously. These regulations are not necesarily bad. You should have another go at dietary treatment and take a good look at the Atkins diet, which is controversial, but got a friend off insulin. There are some new treatments in the offing, mostly involving semi-permeable membranes which permit living insulin producing cells to be maintained within the body without rejection. There are varying degrees of diabetic disability and you may or may not be able to get your patient off the needle. You don't know, however, unless you try. There are many traditional treatments including artichokes, blueberry tea, oral administration of glucose tolerance factor, chromium supplements, and lately the drug glucophage. Good luck.
Answer
I read recently where the no insulin rule was being changed. I probably still have the article somewhere if you need it.
Answer
Please e-mail me a copy of that article. I suspect that you may have read something about diabetics controlled with medication (pills) and are assuming it applies to insulin dependency as well. I try to stay on top of any changes in the medical aspects affecting drivers, but I must have missed this one.
Looking forward to reading what you have found.
------------------
Keeping you safe, healthy, and on the road.
Nurse Red
Visit us at www.Truck.net/abmsVisit us at
Answer
It was about insulin dependent diabetics. I was surprised when I saw it. As soon as I can find it I will send a copy. It was just a little blurb, about 1 or 2 paragraphs long, that detailed that the government had decided that insulin dep. diabetics were not as much of a hazard as they were once thought to be.