Commercial Truck Driver

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations bar people with a diagnosis of epilepsy or medical history of seizures from driving trucks in interstate commerce (Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 391 “Federal Carrier Safety Regulations”). DOT interprets this regulation to permanently disqualify people with epilepsy regardless of present ability to control seizures. The regulations only cover truckers who cross state lines as part of their job and those who transport products within a state that originated in another state. A full list of the physical requirements for obtaining a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) license is available at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/factsfigs/eta/391.html.

To date, legal challenges to the federal DOT regulations have been unsuccessful. However, some plaintiffs have brought successful cases challenging state commercial driver licensing requirements and employers’ use of the DOT regulations in circumstances where they are not required. For more information, see DOT regulations.