Living with Diabetes

General Information on Commercial Driving and Diabetes

This page provides extensive information on how diabetes can affect individuals who hold or seek commercial driving positions. It explains federal Department of Transportation safety regulations and the process for seeking exemptions to the diabetes medical standards which are part of those regulations. Attorneys should consult the materials available at this link before using the other materials on this page.

Letter Regarding application of Medical Standards to Non-Commercial Driving Job (PDF) (May 2008)
This letter was written by Kathy Butler, an attorney and member of the Association’s Legal Advocacy Subcommittee, on behalf of an individual who was rejected for a position based on application of the Department of Transportation’s medical guidelines for commercial drivers even though the job he sought did not require any commercial driving. The matter was subsequently resolved successfully. This letter may be useful as a sample to attorneys representing individuals facing similar situations.

Case Materials

Click on the links below to find information, including opinions and pleadings, in the following cases which addressed issues relating to commercial driving.

Izzi v. UPS
UPS refused to permit plaintiff to drive any of its delivery vehicles because he used insulin. The court held that UPS had failed to prove that providing the plaintiff with work in smaller vehicles he was able to drive would be unreasonable.

Klise v. UPS and Steigauf v. UPS
In two separate cases, plaintiffs were removed from their positions as mechanics because they use insulin and therefore cannot receive DOT medical certification for commercial drivers, even though they rarely, if ever, drive commercial vehicles on the job.

Samson v. Federal Express Corp.
Defendant withdrew plaintiff’s job offer for a mechanic position because plaintiff could not meet federal medical standards to drive commercial motor vehicles, even though the job did not require driving in interstate commerce and even though a process was available to get an exemption to the standards.