Question
After the recent story of the lady killed in the truck accident who was 8 months pregnant, a sort of email dialouge has opened between me and several members.
Is there:
1. ANY regulation you know of that prevents a woman from driving past a certain date. (I stated that she only need to confirm with her Doctor she WAS medically qualified, there were no specfic regulations addressing pregnancy.)
2. What would your professional opinion be? (I stated that any women who would drive a truck into the third trimester was nuts!)
Thanks ....
Monty
Manager
TruckNet's Interactive Community
--Those who deserve love the least, need it the most --
Answer
I really HATE questions like this.
To my knowledge there are no specific regulations regarding driving a CMV during pregnancy. As long as the driver can meet all of the criteria of the current medical standards, there is no disqualifier for pregnancy alone.
However, some women experience a wide myriad of symptoms during pregnancy that may affect their ability to safely operate the vehicle. During the first trimester, many women require much additional sleep. Many experience fleeting periods of lightheadedness. Both of these could temporarily DQ that driver, if it was brought to the attention of the company or the medical examiner.
Some women later in preganacy develop varying degrees of toxemia which can cause a whole host of other problems including temporary diabetes.
I will now give you my professional opinion and I will then follow it with my personal opinion.
In my professional opinion, I think a female driver who becomes pregnant should begin and follow prenatal care just like any one else. How difficult will this be to keep up with if you are an over the road driver? If the answer is that it will be difficult, then get off the road.
If the driver can maintain her appointments as directed, great! However, she MUST let her physician know what she does for a living, and I mean all of it. Not just the driving part, I'm talking loading, unloading, climbing, bouncing, etc. Each time she visits her OB/GYN she should get a statement indicating that she is able to safely perform her duties. The doctor should be very attentive to any symptoms she may be experiencing whether they are temporary or not. If at any time that driver puts herself, her unborn child, or anyone else in jeopardy, she should come off the road. Either voluntarily or under physician orders. I also feel that the last 2 months of the preganacy should be off the road. Babies are just too unpredictable in their arrrival times. Not to mention how uncomfortable and potentially damaging all the bouncing could be in the bladder department.
Also, keep in mind that I am talking about a normal uneventful pregnancy. Any risk factors at all should be taken into consideration in determining the ability of the woman to maintain her driving duties.
Now my personal opinion. I have been fortunate enough that I had absolutely no problems with any of my 3 pregnancies. No miscarriages, nothing. I used to get so TICKED OFF when people would say things like "You can't do that, you're pregnant!" or "Don't do that, you'll hurt the baby!" I would respond with "I'm pregnant for Pete's sake! Not handicapped!"And I pretty much did what I wanted throughout all three pregnancies without any difficulty. Had I been a driver and my company tried to take me off the road just because I was pregnant, I can tell you I would have fought them tooth and nail! I would have unleashed all those raging hormones and waged war. But I am not one that likes to be told what to do anyway. Gee, imagine that!
The decision to continue as a truck driver should be made explicitly between the female and her physician. No one else! Every female and every pregnancy is different. Should the company call the shots? Only to insist on a doctor's note that she is OK to drive. Should a DOT medical examiner get involved? Only to the extent that he may correspond with the OB/GYN to insure that the driver has explicitly detailed her job duties and the OB/GYN Dr. still feels she is safe to drive.
As for the female who died in the truck accident. C'mon people this could have happened anywhere! In any type of vehicle. She could have been walking down the sidewalk into her Drs. office and an out of control vehicle hit her.
While I feel deeply saddened for her husband and child, I must say.....Things just happen. And people will always say "What if" or "If only she hadn't". Life is a crap shoot to some extent...... for all of us.
OK Montee, feedback?
Keeping you safe, healthy and on the road.
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