What Happens If Your Blood Pressure Is Too High
Topic 5914 | Page 2
My BP was 142/72, I got sent home from trucking school. I was given a letter to give to my doc but I am unsure how long it will take for him to treat me, or say that Im okay, and sign off the letter. Does anyone think I can get my 3 readings of blood pressure within a week and then get my doctor to sign off the letter to say i dont have high blood pressure? Never had it be that high until the test, normally its 110-120 tops. What is the process exactly?
For starters, here is a bunch of information about the blood pressure regulations and some tips for lowering it both long term and short term:
Blood Pressure Requirements For The DOT Physical
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) Guidelines & Advice
You were so close to the line that you're not going to have much of an issue. It'll work out fine. Your doctor may give you a mild prescription to help lower it or you might just be able to get it down a little using some of the basics outlined in that second link above. Your doctor will know how to handle it.
I like to say half-jokingly (actually maybe 1/4 jokingly) that the trucking industry runs on caffeine and blood pressure medicine. Your situation is not uncommon and it's no big deal at all. See what your doctor says. Don't worry yourself over this.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Hypertension:
Abnormally high blood pressure.
Thanks, Brett. You're always a great help!!
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Brian has had a similar experience to what happened to me. Here is my advice:
I teach at at CDL School, and for the first time in my life my BP was high this past spring. I was offered a 3 month card, with the paperwork to give to my regular doctor for treatment. I was required to see him, get treatment (for me it was 1 simple pill a day and my insurance covers it free), and I had to return twice within that 3 month period to be checked for my BP. Once I did that, I was given a 1 year card by the physical folks. I will continue to get 1 year cards from here forward.
I caution you, depending on your state, the physical folks may report the 3 month DOT card to the DMV. There may be paperwork for you to give to the DMV to continue to keep your CDL depending on your state. This is what it is like in NY. So make sure you keep all the copies of your paperwork. Do not fax that paperwork, hand carry it to the DMV to be sure your license is protected.
Items that helped me go from 164/124 to 132/76 in 1 month were these:
Cut out ALL fast food and reduce sodium. Cut caffeine down to VERY low amounts. Cut out ALL soda. Stop taking/abusing Ibuprofen and Naproxen (Motrin and Aleve). Manage my sleep better, making sure I was getting the right amount.
I hope this helps, best of luck.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.