Advertisement The General Accounting Office report released last week also highlights flaws in the state and federal system that screens commercial drivers license applicants for health problems that could compromise their ability to drive safely, officials and advocates said.
"The threat is we have a driver that is going to collapse at the wheel," said Gerald Donaldson, senior research director for Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety in Washington, D.C. "There's probably little question that some of those drivers in Wisconsin holding commercial drivers licenses and receiving medical disability benefits are probably unqualified. "
The GAO said the numbers alone can't show the extent to which commercial drivers have medical problems that make them a risk on the roads.
State Division of Motor Vehicles officials say they're not aware of any Wisconsin crashes in recent years in which a commercial driver's medical condition was a contributing factor.
And trucking industry officials and advocates for the disabled say just because someone meets one of several federal definitions of disability doesn't mean a person can't handle the demands of commercial driving, which sometimes involves long hours on the road and being jostled in an uncomfortable seat.
But Wisconsin officials say they have limited independent authority to investigate commercial license applicants' medical fitness and acknowledge that an unknown amount of fraud allows medically unfit drivers to take to the road.
"We do as much as we can with the authority we have," said Jill Reeve, program supervisor for medical review at the DMV. "We're much further along than many other states. "
Nearly 880 commercial drivers in Wisconsin have been identified this year to enter a monitoring program for drivers with medical conditions that could affect their driving ability, Reeve said.
Overall, about 55,000 license holders are in the program, but the agency couldn't determine this week how many hold commercial licenses.
In 2007, the state canceled or denied the licenses of 3,210 drivers because of a medical problem, but it's not clear how many of those people held commercial licenses, Reeve said.
Various definitions
The federal government defines disability numerous ways. For Social Security benefits, it generally means a person has a mental or physical impairment expected to last at least 12 months and prevent gainful employment.
Overall, the GAO found about 563,000 commercial license holders in 12 states who also qualified for federal disability payments.
In Wisconsin, about 8,200 of the 298,000 commercial license holders, or about 2.8 percent, were on disability, the report said. About about 5,900 people got their commercial license after being put on federal disability, the report said.
Under federal law, drivers must meet certain medical requirements, including no diagnosis of heart failure, alcoholism or mental illness that would interfere with the operation of a large vehicle. Doctors, nurse practitioners and physician's assistants, among other medical professionals, can conduct the screening.
State officials adopted the federal medical standards in 1997 after the federal government tied continued highway safety money to states' use of the standards.
Wisconsin commercial license applicants must also verify that they have not lost consciousness or muscle control due to a neurological condition in the last five years and that they have 20/40 vision in each eye, Reeve said, while diabetics can get a license under certain circumstances.
Reeve acknowledged that some commercial license applicants likely get fraudulent medical examination certificates, and she said the agency refers suspicious certificates to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which set the medical requirements.
But Reeve said DMV officials won't easily recognize a fraudulent card "unless it's something blatant " like a doctor's signature that doesn't match the name. She said the DMV has no authority to independently check the certificates to make sure they're legitimate.
The DMV has revoked the commercial licenses or placed drivers in the medical monitoring program when it has learned about a potential medical problem, usually from a doctor or police officer, Reeve said.
Exams not verified
Donaldson, the highway safety advocate, said states, including Wisconsin, should require commercial license applicants to submit their full medical exams and audit a sample of them annually for fraud.
Even though the federal motor carrier administration sets the medical certification standards, a spokesman, Duane DeBruyne, said the agency doesn't verify the examinations and doesn't require states to do so.
DeBruyne said it's the responsibility of the medical professional who conducts the examination to understand the rigors of large-vehicle operation and federal medical requirements associated with it.
The agency is drafting new regulations, that would establish a national registry of medical professionals who have undergone training and testing relating to examining the health of commercial drivers.
Reeve said she supports the registry because it would cut down on fraud. Tom Howells, president of the Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association, agreed.
"Right now drivers can, if you will, go around and shop for a physician," Howells said.
Molly Bandt, managing attorney for Disability Rights Wisconsin, said the federal government is encouraging disabled people to work if they can, and not all people with disabilities should be automatically disqualified from driving a commercial vehicle.
The average national income for people on Social Security disability is $1,004 a month, she said.
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