Driver, Can You Hear Me?

A San Francisco judge allows United Parcel Service to continue blanketly not hiring the hearing impaired as drivers--even of smaller trucks--pending their appeal of his ruling last month that

those with poor hearing should "be given the same opportunities that a hearing applicant would be given to show that they can perform the job of package-car driver safely and effectively."

The government itself forbids by law the hearing impaired from driving trucks of over 10,000 pounds, which implies that they understand the principle that there are certain dangers involving driving without good hearing that are best avoided altogether. Trucks under 10,000 pounds can still be pretty dangerous if the operator can't hear what's going on around him on the road. Just as UPS will be held responsible for the damage its drivers do, so should it be able to institute and carry out policies that in its judgement will help eliminate the possibility of such damage.