Organization to certify proficiency of DOT medical examiners

Questions have existed for a long time regarding the proficiency of many of the individual examiners who conduct the medical examinations required for truck and motorcoach drivers to determine whether a driver is physically fit to drive. In fact, preventing medically unqualified drivers from operating commercial motor vehicles is ranked #2 on the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) "most wanted" list of highway safety improvements. According to NTSB's website , "serious flaws exist in the medical certification process for commercial vehicle drivers. Flaws in the certification process can lead to increased highway fatalities and injuries for commercial vehicle drivers, their passengers, and the motoring public." As a result, NTSB has recommended the development of a comprehensive medical oversight program for interstate commercial drivers that includes, among other things, the following program elements: (1) individuals performing medical examinations for drivers are qualified to do so and are educated about occupational issues for drivers; and (2) individuals performing examinations have specific guidance and a readily identifiable source of information for questions on such examinations.

In response to this significant problem, concerned members of the medical, transportation and safety communities have joined together to establish the non-profit National Academy of DOT Medical Examiners (NADME). www.nadme.org

As stated in its articles of incorporation, NADME's purpose "is to promote and enhance the quality and level of professional knowledge and skills of medical practitioners and other individuals who perform or assist in the performance of medical examinations to determine the physical qualification of drivers of commercial motor vehicles subject to the regulations of the federal Department of Transportation, state agencies, and/or the laws of foreign jurisdictions including (but not limited to) Canada and Mexico."

To carry out its mission, the organization has identified three critical activities NADME will initially focus on doing, according to NADME's founder and President, Robert Hirsch:

providing national standards and training materials for the initial and recurrent training of medical practitioners who perform the required physical examinations, in order to ensure they know and understand exactly what is necessary for a driver to be considered "physically qualified";
administering a national standardized examination to determine and certify the knowledge and proficiency of individual medical practitioners to increase and ensure full compliance with the physical examination requirements; and
compile and maintain an up-to-date registry of individual medical examiners who have been certified or recertified by NADME that will be accessible to the public.

Hirsch, also president of RH & Associates, has significant experience in the trucking industry, including having served as president and CEO of Truckload Carriers Association, the national trade association for truckload motor carriers, from 2000 - 2003. Hirsch says that "receipt of NADME certification represents the highest professional credential in the field and denotes the mark of a medical professional who is committed to the safety of drivers and the public on our Nation's highways."

"The need for an organization like NADME is long overdue, based on my first-hand experience with driver physicals" according to NADME Vice-President Peter Van Beek, the former Vice President for Safety for Coach USA, a 6000 plus charter and tour bus operator. Van Beek, who is president of DDC USA, a highly respected developer of educational programs and services for the motorcoach and trucking companies, developed the organization's initial training program and certification examination together with doctors Jeffrey Liva of Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City and William Nassetta of Washington, DC. "I am absolutely confident that the NADME training and certification will "contribute greatly to the lowering of medically-related accidents and injuries on highways," Van Beek said.

Norm Littler, Senior Vice President, Government and Industry Relations for the United Motorcoach Association in Alexandria, Virginia, said he is delighted with the establishment of NADME. Noting legislation pending in the Senate that would require every medical examiner to register and be listed as a condition of being eligible to perform a driver physical examination, Littler said "this is something that our association has been working hard to get for a number of years now. The fact that the private sector has stepped up with this more comprehensive program on its own is significant and should be applauded. Certification programs like NADME's are one of those areas in which the private sector can more easily and quickly provide a much-needed public service than the government and avoid the need for government to divert already-limited funds away from programs that only government can, or should, deliver ," Littler added.

Also responding to the Senate provision, Hirsch pointed out that "NADME will easily be able to support DOT by providing a registry of medical practitioners who will be eligible to perform driver physical examinations that will be open and available to carriers and the public."

To view the NADME web site visit- www.nadme.org

For more information regarding NADME contact:
Robert Hirsch
(281) 404-2404 Ext. 5930
info@nadme.org

For specific information regarding the NADME training course and certification examination contact:
Pete Van Beek
(281) 404-2404 Ext. 5930
info@nadme.org

1 See http://www.ntsb.gov/Recs/mostwanted/medicalcertification.htm

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