New DOT Physical Requirements?

Canadian truckers are held to as high a standard as USA drivers. We also cannot do interlining, meaning we can take a load to the USA and then pick up a load to come back to Canada but we cannot take a load to the USA, pick up a load in the USA and take it to another place in the USA and keep on going.

That helps secure the USA trucker's jobs, far as I know, or at least helps to.

And with our Canadian winters and the amount of salt up here, our trucks are scrutinized to death to make sure they pass all the safety standards up here. We have yearly safety inspections in all provinces now. I do believe some USA states still do not but maybe that's only for cars, I really don't know.

And the HOS is the same in USA as it is in Canada with a couple of exceptions - we can drive 13 hours a day and we can have 70 hours in 7 days instead of 6, I think it is.

As for sleep apnea, most people who sleep on their backs and/or are overweight have some sleep apnea. I am considered overweight by the BMI (5'8" and 120 pounds)but I have no sleep apnea because I NEVER sleep on my back. I can't. The few times I roll over on my back, I wake myself up!! I sleep on my side and always have and have no sleep apnea at all. I don't snore (really, I asked!! LOL) but my other half does, as does my dad, my uncle, my ex. Maybe it's more of a man thing????

And since when is not getting a PERFECT night's rest criteria for not allowing you to work in ANY field? There are probably thousands if not more people out there who don't get a proper night's rest for reasons OTHER than sleep apnea - stress, worry, bad back, uncomfortable, have a cold, etc., etc., etc. so why should you have to not work as a trucker if you have sleep apnea??? I mean, don't you recognize that you're tired and take a break??? Sleep apnea will make you more tired, that's all. It won't make you more likely to have a stroke or heart attack.

I think the gov't is getting a tad too high and mighty these days. Can we get all the bureaucrats to take sleep apnea tests and make them leave their jobs if they have it? And all the rich business owners? I doubt it!!!

 

Guess I'm still naive!! At least our company doesn't do that, anyway, but we're a small company.

 

Oh, I'm sure they are and their standards aren't even half of what ours are, from what I hear.

Do you know if USA companies are doing interlining in Canada or if it's even illegal to do it in Canada? I've only heard about it the other way - Canadian trucks doing it in the USA.

 

It is my understanding that we are subject to the same rules in Canada that you face in the states.

 

I was having trouble a few years ago with being tired all the time. I went to the doctor and he referred me to a sleep specialist. I went for a series of appointments, including an overnight sleep study. My insurance(BCBS of Missouri through Hogan Transports) paid the entire bill short of the $20 co pay. I was told I did not have enough apnea to warrant treatment and the doctor didn't know what was wrong with me. I still haven't figured out what makes me so tired, but it isn't sleep apnea. I stay awake with a pretty good dose of caffeine first thing and then a little more through the day.

If you think you may have this, please seek treatment. I know that without insurance it may be expensive, but this can kill you. People have stopped breathing in the night never to start back. If you have insurance, don't assume this treatment is not covered. Ask them about it. You may have a deductible or something, but make sure.

 

It could be the amount of hours the average OTR driver works or the diesel fumes you breath in all day long working and living around trucks.

Excessive short term exposer to diesel fumes can cause dizziness, drowsiness, blood pressure elevation, asphyxiation, kidney damage, etc...

Diesel exhaust can also increase your risks of heart attack due to blood clotting from ingestion of particulate matter which is several times that found in gasoline exhaust as well as being a suspected carcinogen.

But you won't see any trucking companies or truck driver training schools informing their drivers or student about the serious damage they will be doing to their body's when choosing to drive trucks for a living.

 

Listen to those who tell you sleep apnea is potentially deadly. Sleep apnea can affect anyone - even children. It can cause hypertension, and everyone knows that is "the silent killer". Sleep apnea can affect your entire circulatory system. (You men think about this one for a minute). You may die quickly from not starting to breathe again (relatively rare), but over time, the cumulative effects can do the damage.

There are also varying degrees - from hypoventilation to obstructive sleep apnea and everything in between. I have to agree with one poster who said "everyone snores". Having worked a whole lot of night shifts in my 31 years as a nurse, I know that is a fairly true statement. The thing is, not all of them stop breathing for 1-2 minutes dozens of times every night. If you are hypoventilating (not stopping, just not breathing enough), your oxygen saturation can fall from a normal 95-100% into the 70-80% range. Every organ in your body will be starving for oxygen. Your heart will work harder to try to keep your body alive.

If you have sleep apnea, or suspect that you do, please, please get tested and get it treated. Would you ignore diabetes or high blood pressure? This is just as serious. By the way, sleep studies are an accepted standard of care, and I think most, if not all, health insurance plans cover this. In fact, it would be harder to imagine there is any plan that does not cover this. (I've been in the insurance side of things for the past 10 years.)

By the way, I had my DOT physical yesterday and there was no mention of sleep apnea testing. Yep, giving up the glamorous, fun-filled life of a nurse to go on the road. Start classes the beginning of January. (I had to find a place where I could take classes on the weekends since I have to work full time.) My take on the physical - it needs to be tailored to the individual. I agree BMI is not a good indicator of body fat content - hip/waist ratios are probably better. (In other words, if you have dunlapped disorder, you are probably obese.) I do think if there are other indicators - neck circumference, high blood pressure, age over 40, obesity - then, yes, sleep apnea testing would be indicated. The idea of a complete physical exam is to make sure you are healthy - and catch potential problems.

Okay, I'll stop being a nurse. End of lecture.

 

My husband has sleep apnea,and even though the va gave him a letter of release stating that he can safely operate a tractor trailer no trucking company will let him work for them.Not even Schnieder.If the va does the set of tests ( a set of sleep apnea tests are 3 tests) then the average price is $4,000 per individual test,meaning a total of $12,000 per set.When he had his done in San Antonio,Tx. it cost the Army $10,000 per test,$30,000 total. He even went and got his CLD , then found out he couldn't drive .Oh well,so life goes.