KANSAS CITY, Mo. – They’re called semis, 18-wheelers or big rigs. They haul everything from livestock to flammable liquids. The people guiding those rigs down the streets and highways have an important job. A simple wrong move of the wheel or a lapse in attention to the road can cause a dangerous, even deadly mistake. That is why it is important for truck drivers to be healthy. However, an NBC Action News investigation uncovered a surprising loophole in the law that’s supposed to protect you and your family on the road. Instead, it’s letting some unfit drivers slip through the cracks, leaving our highways rigged for danger.
Danger Behind the Wheel
On the open highway, an 18 wheeler can be described as an 80,000 pound weapon and our investigation reveals truckers with serious medical conditions are often behind the wheel. The problem stems from medical certificates. Federal law requires every commercial truck driver to have one. The document, about the size of a credit card, is supposed to be signed by a doctor after examining a trucker, proving the drivers are medically fit to operate a vehicle. As we found though, the medical cards can be forged by someone who wants to drive, but shouldn’t due to medical reasons. In many states like Kansas, it’s up to a highway patrol officer who stops a trucker to determine if the driver’s medical certificate is valid. It’s not uncommon for troopers to spot medical certificates that have been tampered.
“We’ll see them trying to forge some of those,” said Capt. Dan Myer, with the Kansas Highway Patrol. “They’ll fudge the dates or alter the dates.” Unlike a driver’s license, a state trooper has no way to confirm whether the information on a medical card is valid. That’s because the agency which enforces the laws does not have a single medical certificate in its files. “We have no way of verifying it at roadside,” Myer said.
Thousands of Cases
The NBC Action News Investigators examined thousands of cases over the past three years of truckers who broke state laws that are supposed to protect the trucker and others on the road. In Kansas, our investigation found truckers cited more than 12,000 times in the past three years for expired or improper certificates, or having no medical certificate at all. Out of that overall number, 8,573 were cited for driving without a medical certificate. As it turns out, truckers may have little incentive to play by the rules. If they are caught without a medical card, a trooper can only issue a citation and let them go on their way. On the other hand, if a driver is stopped with a medical card that shows they are unfit to drive, the trooper can keep the driver from traveling. “They’ll be placed out of service when not medically qualified,” Myer explained. “But if they don’t have one of them at all, it is just a violation and they continue down the road.”
Dangerous, Even Deadly Crashes
In June of 2006, four women from Kansas City died in a fatal crash along Interstate 70 when a semi collided into cars parked in traffic. The trucking company lost a $15 million settlement, but for those left behind, it was little solace. John Myers worked with one of the women killed, Anita Gibbs, a principal at Askew Elementary school in Kansas City. He saw the loss affect that entire community. “It was a devastating thing for this school to go through,” said Myers.
Our investigation expanded across the country and found other incidents where drivers with serious medical issues were involved in accidents. One driver had an artificial limb, while another had no legs. The driver who smashed into Anita Gibbs’ car had prior medical problems. David Peterson, the Kansas City attorney who won the settlement in that fatal crash, cited numerous health issues for the truck driver in the accident. “He had a prior stroke. He had a prior heart attack.” said Peterson. “At the time of the accident he was on nine different medications.”
Closing the Loophole
In January of this year, a new federal rule went into effect requiring drivers to begin providing valid medical card information to the state’s driver’s license agency. This will allow inspectors to confirm the medical card, as well as their driving record. Kansas will begin collecting this information in 2010.
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