Single vision eye sprinter driver

bg101 · Mar 26, 2012

I have a guy that lost one of his eyes in a pedestrian hit and run accident. He wants to drive one of my sprinter vans as expeditor. What do you think about this? I don’t think is illegal and I did not see any restrictions, at least in USA.

I would like to help this man, but safety is my concern as well. He is currently delivering pizzas in a suburb city. In other words he is doing driving but not constantly on the highway with 65 mph, and not that many hours night driving.

I read some articles for truck drivers with monocular vision. Please share any stories you know about such drivers.

Thanks

cableguymn · Mar 26, 2012

bg101 said:
I have a guy that lost one of his eyes in a pedestrian hit and run accident. He wants to drive one of my sprinter vans as expeditor. What do you think about this? I don’t think is illegal and I did not see any restrictions, at least in USA.

I would like to help this man, but safety is my concern as well. He is currently delivering pizzas in a suburb city. In other words he is doing driving but not constantly on the highway with 65 mph, and not that many hours night driving.

I read some articles for truck drivers with monocular vision. Please share any stories you know about such drivers.

Thanks

If he can pass the dot exam and your carrier does not have a problem with it. Why not? If you are still uncomfortable about it do your own road test with him.

Also know that the Ada might kick in and turning him down because of this could cause you some troubles.

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xmudman · Mar 26, 2012

cableguymn said:
If he can pass the dot exam and your carrier does not have a problem with it. Why not? If you are still uncomfortable about it do your own road test with him.

Also know that the Ada might kick in and turning him down because of this could cause you some troubles.

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Being monocular will disqualify him for the DOT medical card. Ask me how I know; my right eye has vision, but isn't correctable to 20/40 even with glasses

However, the carrier may allow him to sign on since he will be operating under 10K and won't need a medical card to comply with the law. That's a carrier decision, though. Good luck to both of you and keep this blind guy posted!

xiggi · Mar 26, 2012

I know a person with a dot card who only has vision in one eye. They did get a waiver, don't know the details but he did say it was not easy getting it. I also know a person with a glass eye who has been driving that way for 30 years and they do fine, no accidents ever. They are not a dot driver just a personal vehicle.

bg101 · Mar 27, 2012

Thank you for the input.

The sprinter is 8500 GVW, so no subject to DOT regulations. No need for CDL for the carrier I am thinking about, but medical test is required, so you are right they might not agree with it. I also talked to two other guys, with one eye, driving personal vehicles, and they said they are doing fine. My concern is the size of the vehicle and the lack of windows as in passenger car.

xmudman · Mar 27, 2012

bg101 said:
Thank you for the input.

The sprinter is 8500 GVW, so no subject to DOT regulations. No need for CDL for the carrier I am thinking about, but medical test is required, so you are right they might not agree with it. I also talked to two other guys, with one eye, driving personal vehicles, and they said they are doing fine. My concern is the size of the vehicle and the lack of windows as in passenger car.

Based on my experiences, I think he'll be fine. I've driven ambulances, vans, etc. and also drove bigger non-cdl vehicles in the past, and the lack of windows hasn't been an issue. The driver must simply be a bit extra careful, and I would recommend he have larger mirrors to help him keep track of his surroundings.

After that, it's up to your chosen carrier to say yay or nay. Good luck to you both

mjmsprt40 · Mar 27, 2012

I haven't said much, but I've been one-eyed since shortly after birth. An operation nicked the optic nerve to the left eye, so I have no useful vision in that eye. Restrictions: The state makes me have left and right outside mirrors. Just about every vehicle now on the road comes with left and right outside mirrors, so no problem.

About lack of windows: Unless your name is Kal-El, I doubt you notice much difference whether you have two eyes or one eye. In order to see what's behind you, you use your mirrors. If your name is Kal-El, you probably don't let steel walls bother you much anyway.

bg101 · Mar 27, 2012

mjmsprt40 said:
I haven't said much, but I've been one-eyed since shortly after birth. An operation nicked the optic nerve to the left eye, so I have no useful vision in that eye. Restrictions: The state makes me have left and right outside mirrors. Just about every vehicle now on the road comes with left and right outside mirrors, so no problem.

About lack of windows: Unless your name is Kal-El, I doubt you notice much difference whether you have two eyes or one eye. In order to see what's behind you, you use your mirrors. If your name is Kal-El, you probably don't let steel walls bother you much anyway.

Thanks a lot! ...and you do drive some vehicle other than passenger, correct? Any tips?

LisaLouHoo · Mar 28, 2012

Talked to my ophtho a couple months ago, he told me I would have to wear glasses or both contacts if I was to get DOT clearance. I have to wear reading glasses with my contacts UNLESS I do the monocle trick: one lens in one eye only. Alternate right and left each day. Weird at first, but I got used to it in a matter of hours. Saves on lenses (doubles the life of a pair and I don't have to buy bifocal lenses), and I don't have to keep up with pairs of glasses. I can see distance and read fine print up close. But be DOT compliant? Not like that. He said I would have to have both eyes corrected to 20/40 in order to get the card...and if I got busted on the road with only one? Problems.

If I was interested in DOT, I would have to have both eyes in good working order.

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mjmsprt40 · Mar 28, 2012

bg101 said:
Thanks a lot! ...and you do drive some vehicle other than passenger, correct? Any tips?

I drive a standard Chevy cargo van. No windows at all back of the front doors. Before this one, I had a Sprinter, same thing-- no windows back of the front doors. The only tip I can offer is the same one I would offer to anyone driving a cargo van: Learn to love your outside mirrors, they're your friends.

mjmsprt40 · Mar 28, 2012

I have a question. How, exactly, is being one-eyed supposed to handicap you more in a cargo van than two eyes? How is driving a cargo significantly different than driving a car? I've driven both cars and vans, never noticed that my bad left eye made that big a difference. Again, unless your name is Kal El and you can see through steel walls, I imagine we all have to use mirrors when backing these cargo vans.

LisaLouHoo · Mar 29, 2012

mjmsprt40 said:
I have a question. How, exactly, is being one-eyed supposed to handicap you more in a cargo van than two eyes? How is driving a cargo significantly different than driving a car? I've driven both cars and vans, never noticed that my bad left eye made that big a difference. Again, unless your name is Kal El and you can see through steel walls, I imagine we all have to use mirrors when backing these cargo vans.

I was told by my ophtho it's a depth perception issue. Even with one contact there is still depth perception because the "fuzzy" eye is capable of that (naturally, it depends on how bad the "fuzzy" eye is). If blind in one eye, legally or totally, there is impaired depth perception. Objects really MAY be closer than they appear and lane changes or stopping in time could be disastrous.

Then of course there is the whole bureaucracy of DOT, who fail to realize the majority of accidents involving the freight industry originate from Joe Bloe in his compact car, the same Joe Bloe who got a D- in basic high school physics and has no comprehension of mass in forward motion.

That and dead elm trees. Those will get ya too.

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bg101 · Mar 29, 2012

LisaLouHoo said:
I was told by my ophtho it's a depth perception issue. Even with one contact there is still depth perception because the "fuzzy" eye is capable of that (naturally, it depends on how bad the "fuzzy" eye is). If blind in one eye, legally or totally, there is impaired depth perception. Objects really MAY be closer than they appear and lane changes or stopping in time could be disastrous.

Then of course there is the whole bureaucracy of DOT, who fail to realize the majority of accidents involving the freight industry originate from Joe Bloe in his compact car, the same Joe Bloe who got a D- in basic high school physics and has no comprehension of mass in forward motion.

That and dead elm trees. Those will get ya too.

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You are right about the depth perception. Both eyes
supply the brain with information and the brain compares both things to give you more accurate information.

However, this is for the first ~20ft only. So, I assume keeping greater distance between vehicles would be logical.

LisaLouHoo · Mar 29, 2012

bg101 said:
I assume keeping greater distance between vehicles would be logical.

That is true, and I think most expediters, especially c/v and Sprinter drivers, are always aware of their buckled-down freight and customarily do what they can to keep as much reasonable space as possible between themselves and the vehicle in front. It's those side-mirror only right side lane changes that can be dicey even for someone with two good eyes.

Can someone with one non-impaired eye do it? Absolutely. Like any disability, the brain will adapt as much as possible to the point daily functions go on as if both eyes are present...it's DOT who has a problem with it.

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mjmsprt40 · Mar 29, 2012

I've never known any other way, really, than having one good eye. My right eye is good, my left eye-- creates more problems than it solves. So, the depth perception problems are something I've always compensated for naturally.

Mirrors come on all vehicles these days, some are reasonably good and some are doggone near criminal. To hang such a small, ineffective piece of garbage as some car makers install on their cars ought to be a federal offense, in my opinion. However, with reasonable mirrors I have no trouble, or at least no more trouble than the average person has.

Following distance isn't that hard to figure out. You know when you're close, so you back off a little. If you have trouble with it, they give you the two-second rule. If you're heavy, increase to four seconds. I just wish some of the big trucks would obey that, I've seen these guys run a following distance that would give you the shakes in a parking lot, and they're running at highway speed.