USA Truck Orientation Physical Question

The problem isn't that they are discriminating against skinny or fat people. The problem is they are using a criteria of selection that has nothing to do with wether you have sleep apena or not. A big neck? High BMI? How do those relate to sleep apnea? That's going back to the days of the witch hunts where if you had the wrong color eyes and someone didn't like it you could be burned at the stake.

 

Yeah and another thing that torks me is that if you have sleep apnea and doing everything right they only give you a one year med card. Even though you are healthy in every other way.

 

Well I'm going to.ask.my dm.monday about this. Get her to.fond.out. my card.is up in november. Ill get my own physical.done if they are doing the sleep apnea stuff at usa. If usa does not like that ill go somewhere else even though I don't want to. Until DOT requires it I'm not doing it. Its the principle. I snore some.times but usually not. I used to ask my exwife because my dad snored and did have sleep apnea. I know it can be dangerous and cause health problems. I was an emt for 8yrs I am well versed in medical issues. I try to be relativly healthy. But until I have symptoms other than a belly and 18.5" neck I'm not doing a sleep study.

 

You may not have to do it if you are an owner operator, but it is my understanding that starting Jan 1, 2013 carriers are requiring sleep apnea sleep study for all drivers that have 17" or larger neck and a BMI of 33 or higher.

 

Its not a DOT requirement. Some insurance companies may offer a discount to companies that test though. DOT threatened it but did not put it in the last rule change. Its not off the table though. I dobtbhave a problem with the test and I know its an issue for sone people. I may have it and not know. You may to. But my problem is tge criteria fir testing. Its bs and has no medical proof as a leading factor. Its listed as a pissible factor. But it does not indicate probkems with those under 35% bmi and 17" neck. I kniw several 5'9" 150# guys with diagnosed sleep apnea. So its spot lighting overweight people and not the problem.

 

So what you are basically saying to the gentleman is that the DOT medical physical is done during your CDL training, and the physical that USA,and other companies do is mostly a drug test,and to see if you can perform certain physical aspects of the job?I think that it is to the company and the potential drivers benefit to know if they can crawl under a trailer, or climb up in the cab of a truck with out a lot of issues.

 

Agree I think a lot of that test is B.S. Even the most fit person has to adjust driving a truck 8 to 10 hrs a day when they start out.Also a lot of dudes just have big necks, but are in great shape

 

This post is about USA Trucking orientation physical. Yes I know it is not a D.O.T requirement. I even mentioned that I got a 2 year medical card from one of those DOT physical places, but if you go to any major trucking company they will do an Orientation Physical. If your neck is larger than 17" and you have a BMI >33 then you can count on having to go to a sleep professional and get evaluated. They did it at Swift, They did it at Werner and they do it at USA Truck.

 

Not all. At least not yet. Its discrimination plain and simple. I'd call them on it to. Now if the company wants to pay for the study abd if needed the cpap I'd actually think it was for my health snd benifit us both. The way it looks to me is a scam. Docs diagnose almost everyone in the study then say you can only buy their machine and only from them. I'm sure kick backs are being passed around.

Again if they want to use an unproven symptom such as neck and bmi then ill call ghem in it. When the ama states those are leading and definitive indicators not just contributing then ill shut up. Until then, when I see these post, especially in the usa forum, ill voice my opinion on sleep apnea and my opinion of the medical fields. I worked as a medical proffessional for 8 years and havr seem furst hand the scams that go on.

 

I agree with you that it is a scam. I agree with you that it is an unproven system. What I am saying is that most of the big carriers now require it to pass their physical It don't do you any good to have a 2 year DOT physical in their eyes. I went into USA trucking Orientation, showed them a 2 year card. They say that I have to get a new card with their medical staff, that my card is no good to them.