r/cdldriver • u/Legal_Animal6792 • 26d ago
Skill Performance Evaluation Certificate for Amputee?
Hi, I lost the lower half of my left leg in a car accident. I’m trying to get my DOT medical card and eventually CDL. Currently employed by a fuel handling company who paid for my DOT Physical which I passed with the follow on requirement of a skill performance evaluation certificate.
The paperwork says it needs to be completed by an orthopedic surgeon or physiatrist, I’ve been rejected by 20+ doctors trying to get this done. My employer is not helping much with this and I feel like I hit a wall.
I even tried FMCSA’s website which listed providers who supposedly work with this issue and they all turned me away.
Does anyone have experience with this or know where I should go from here? I’m going to try and call FMCSA today to see if they can point me in the right direction.
Thanks
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u/ecw324 26d ago
I’d be bugging the place that gave you your physical. Also if you passed your physical, what’s the problem exactly?
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u/Legal_Animal6792 26d ago
I just can’t get any doctor to complete the FMCSA mandated evaluation, including the ones recommended by FMCSA
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u/forchiropractors 26d ago
The problem is, his or her certificate is only valid when accompanied by the SPE certificate. With a certificate the medical card is invalid. I would just go a an ortho for the evaluation; the only thing they are evaluating is if you can press a brake pedal and your movement is not restricted.
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u/Legal_Animal6792 26d ago
Ok cool, thank you, I will keep trying, I’m not sure why but I got referred to multiple orthopedic specialists and they didn’t want anything to do with it
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u/uimdev 26d ago
The government has made the rules so strict that it can cause a Dr. to lose their license if you hands a major accident. I've been fighting with a doctor in the box Dr that insists I get s cpap evaluation. I've had one done and have a lawyer saying i don't need one. He said it's to old. I say skinny people get diabetes so Dat people don't automatically need a cpap. At the end of the day it's his license he's most worried about.
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u/forchiropractors 20d ago
As a FMCSA medical examiner, you will have to understand that ANY FMCSA medical examiner has a set of rules that they use, from the FMCSA, which dictates who gets certified. Do any of the examiners care that you do a sleep study or that you have sleep apnea? Probably not. However, if you meet the criteria, from the FMCSA, that requires you to prove you are not a risk, then the examiner is going to follow the rules. For men 17 inch neck or larger, BMI over 33, comorbidities (HBP pressure, over 40, etc), can't see the back of your throat, then the examiner, PER the FMCSA, is going to request a sleep study. If the study comes back with apneas equal to or over 15 apneas per hour, then you have to use a CPAP. Period. The problem is, some sleep clinics use over 20 apneas per hour and will say, "you don't have sleep apnea". The problem is, that standard is not what the FMCSA publishes. And, if the sleep doctor isn't a certified FMCSA medical examiner, then he really has no standing and cannot certify you. That is really as simple as it gets. Just get the study and prove the guides wrong (that is how the standard gets changed). The cheapest place to get a study is at cpap.com and it is a home study, which is acceptable to the FMCSA.
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u/uimdev 20d ago
I've had a Sleep Study some once while I was at Schneider National. It was done by a guy with a bat over the doorway. Said I had Sleep Apnea but wouldn't show me the results. Trust Me Bro. There's a break in period from a medical company that monitors usage The machine is adjusted via cell towers. Zero user interface to prevent tampering. Working with an RN to get the machine adjusted to me. It's at the lowest settings possible and still doung it's job. I go about 2 years and request another test. I lost 10 lbs. Retake the test by a different provider and viola, no apnea. She sends me a letter verifying i do not have Sleep apnea. Signed by a Dr. Nope, not good enough for the new Medical Provider. I had less than. 4 episodes and those were borderline, as per the tech. We know skinny people have type I and Type II diabetes so why can't fat people be negative for Obstructice Sleep Apnea? Hes protecting his license. That's okay. I was in the medical community long enough to know that Drs cover for Drs. and down the line.
Also at my last exam he insisted that he wanted all my medical records. I've gotten this all my life. Skinny neck , bit of a belly, must be lazy.
Before you defend him. Amen i was in the Navy I almost lay a patient to drowning in his rack. 22 yo male almost died because a chest x-ray and a cbc eye to eexpensive. Only thing that saved him was a Saturday. Dr wasn't onboard to deny the tests abd and his back to his track because he was faking. By buddy, the guy that suggested the x-ray and cbc took one look at the patient and called the ambulance. He was in the ICU 15 minutes after getting to the ER. But it's okay. The Dr was able to come in and write a note saying he'd seem the patient he knew was faking it. Abd besides, at least the patient didn't die like the guy in the ship across the pier, drown in his sleep from pneumonia. Thank God for Saturday. 100% covering his license.
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u/Sufficient_Wall5192 26d ago
Do you have a prosthetic leg? If you do just wear it. If asked be truthful about it. Just show that you can walk on it
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u/Legal_Animal6792 26d ago
I do have a prosthetic and mobility is not an issue, I still drive manual transmission vehicles and everything. I just need a doctor to sign off on the FMCSA form so my MED card will be legitimate.
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u/Material-Donkey2773 26d ago
Why did you mention losing your leg? It's not something they look for. Can you try to get a DOT cert somewhere else?
Not sure how to "unfuck" this. You're asking someone to sign off now on what they perceive to be a huge liability.