| Company Name | Description | Price | Website | Phone Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iOn My Sleep | Testing results are delivered online | $195 | GetSleepTest.com | 888-866-5168 |
| 1800CPAP.COM | Testing results are sent by mail | $249 | 1800cpap.com | 800-274-1366 |
| AllTrans Medical Solutions | Testing results are sent by mail | $349 | AllTransMedical.com | 877-357-3212 |
| Sleep Solutions 4 Truckers | ??? | ??? | SleepSolutions4Truckers.com | 877-380-2922 |
You’re Being Lied To (or mislead) About Sleep Apnea Testing
Contrary to what you might believe after reading scary stories being published by various trucking industry lobbying groups and blogs (*cough* I’m not completely innocent either), sleep apnea testing is not yet required for every CDL holder, and it’s probably years away from being mandatory in the trucking industry. However:
- It does seem to be getting prescribed more often by honest physicians at DOT physicals
- A small but growing number of trucking companies are requiring all drivers to get screened for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB), either of which would show up in typical testing
I figure it’s better to be prepared, which is why I’m using this article to share the research I did about the best and least expensive ways to get tested if you have to.
Mobile Testing or Sleep Clinics?
After doing some reading I decided to only list at home / mobile sleep apnea tests. To me, the mobile method has clear advantages:
- More convenient than scheduling an appointment and visiting a sleep clinic
- Mobile tests tend to be much, much cheaper because they don’t have the overhead costs of a physical location
How Do These Mobile Sleep Apnea Tests Work?
- You put in an order with a testing company (like the ones listed below)
- They send you a few sensors to wear overnight while you’re sleeping
- The sensor readings are automatically sent back to the testing company from the testing equipment or using your smartphone
- The testing companies use a sleep physician to analyze the data and let you know whether you have any sleep apnea disorders
- If you do have a disorder, companies will put you in touch with a doctor to prescribe a treatment plan
Here are the mobile sleep apnea testing companies I found:
| Company Name | Description | Price | Website | Phone Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iOn My Sleep | Testing results are delivered online | $195 | GetSleepTest.com | 888-866-5168 |
| 1800CPAP.COM | Testing results are sent by mail | $249 | 1800cpap.com | 800-274-1366 |
| AllTrans Medical Solutions | Testing results are sent by mail | $349 | AllTransMedical.com | 877-357-3212 |
| Sleep Solutions 4 Truckers | ??? | ??? | SleepSolutions4Truckers.com | 877-380-2922 |
Well, that’s all I have so far. It’s slim pickings at the moment, there are only a few mobile sleep apnea testers out there, and even fewer are being upfront about pricing or providing apnea screenings unless your physician books them for you. I wouldn’t normally include a company like Sleep Solutions 4 Drivers that doesn’t clearly advertise their prices, but the list seemed lacking with just three options.
Review Sleep Apnea Testing Companies!
Actually, what this list is really lacking are reviews from folks who have used their services. Good experience, bad experience, anything in between… post in the comments section below and let us know what you think.
I too have been looking into this. My DOT Medical Card expired in Dec 2013. When I went to get the new one, from a DOT Physician, this is what I got. It looks like for now the DOT have left it up to the attending physician as to weather to order a sleep test or not. Now my daughter in law who works in the medical field, is telling me along with the doctor I saw to get a new DOT medical Card, that they themselves now have to take a 100 hour online course and then take a test at a local location in order to become a certificated DOT physician examiner. Which to me is NUTS. Since all doctors are already board certified thru there own states. But according to the physician I saw she told me that there are three areas that have to be meet. 1. your neck size has to be less than 18″, which mine is. 2. your blood pressure has to be within the normal range, which mine is.3. Your body mass index (BMI) has to be with in your height and weight range. Mine should be 36 it is 38. So if you do not meet all three they COULD ask for a sleep test. And she did. The way I see it is the DOT dropped this in the physician lap for liability purposes. So if the physician does not require the sleep test and you crash a truck kill someone and it come back you had a sleep disorder they could sue the physician that gave you the card. So yes I have to have one. They gave me a 90 card. Now once I have one and weather I pass or fail the test is good for 5 years. Meaning I would not have to take another one in a year or year after year when my DOT Medical Card expires. My company is agreeing to pay half the cost for the test.
I will come back and give you a review of the facility I used. I am skeptical about them too, how do I know they are upfront and not just trying to sell me equipment? That is my biggest fear. If I have a sleep disorder.
Thanks for shedding some more light on the process, and also for relating your personal experience. I’m looking forward to reading your upcoming review!
If you are skeptical about the provider who conducts your test and think they might be falsely diagnosing you with a sleep disorder just to get you to buy equipment, I suggest taking the readings they give you and having them reviewed by another sleep specialist to get a second opinion.
How much do u have to pay. I’m hereing 750.00 and that’s with my I surance that’s ridiculous
There’s a lot more to the test than pasting a few leads on you and texting the results to some physician who I equate to an ambulance chaser. I’ve used a CPAP for almost 20 years, and I love it. I sleep about 5.5 hours a night and wake feeling great. I never get drowsey, and I never go without it. You don’t have to be overweight to have it either. If someone has ever told you you snore, I’d get tested. I’m an advocate for sleep studies, only because I think once you used one (takes a week or so before you can wear it all night) you’d never leave home without it.
Hammer
Hey Hammer, thanks for talking about your successful treatment of sleep apnea. You mentioned that there’s more to it than collecting data and transmitting it for evaluation. Can you take the time to share your experience with testing and any additional steps you went through that I might have overlooked in this article?
Hey Samuel,
I have sleep apnea as well and I have used my machine every night since I was diagnosed with this disorder. If you’re a veteran and have the ability to use the services of the VA Medical Center in your aree sleep study program.
Reggie White, the football player of Green Bay packers had sleep apnea, and he passed way in his sleep because he didn’t get the treatment he needed. Sleep apnea is a very serious disorder, you have to meet the DOT requirements of 8 hrs a night of continous use of the cpap or bi pap machine a night to get your medical card. I have to renew my dot card every year, because they will only do it for 1 year renew each time because of the sleep apnea. I have to send my data card to the VA each year before my Dot screening to get the info analysis by the pulmonary clinic at the VA. They send back my card and the analysis and give it to the physician to look it at the dot screening or they only issue a temp medical card for 90 days until they get analysis from you. That is an unconviecne to you and them without the results. I have take the new dot card over to the D M V so they can up their records with my new dot card. Without renewal you can shut down and fined at at the scale.
I use my machine every night and I too don’t leave home without it.
You get a cpap or biosphere machine and supplies off Amazon.com
Mark, thanks for sharing that info, it’s great advice that many veterans might otherwise be unaware of.
The requirement for using the sleep apnea c-pap machine is 4 hours a night 4 nights a week, that is the minimum but the more the better.
Whats the difference between a CPAP or bi pap machine? Just wondering since I have never heard of a bi pap machine. I go to my family doctor whenever I am at home and have blood work and everything done including all my 90 day RX’s while I am at home. I have so much medicine and my family doctor is very knowledge about the meds I can take and what does and does not show if you have to do any random testing. Dr also knows how long it stays in your system so it won’t show up on a random screen.I get medicine for high bp, Combination med for hi cholestrol/triglycerides, muscle relaxers for my back from sitting in the truck all day, anxiety medicine because it so stressful out there driving especially if you get in lots of traffic and you always have to worry about the other idiots (cars) around you cause they have no clue what a dangerous job we have and think we can drive like cars. They don’t realize you can’t stop 80,000 pounds on a dime! I have other meds along like ambien I take that help me sleep, along with OTC sleep medicine like benadryl or nyquil. I get a minimum of 10 hours and sometimes more every night depending how much time I have on a load. I am very over weight (I have never had a DOT Certified DR do any measurements and tell me I need to do a sleep study). I eat anything I want even knowing my family history of heart disease (Guess I don’t take care of my health. as some people say cause he thinks a pill is the answer to your health problems). The doctor says to stop every couple of hours and walk for 15 or 20 minutes just to stretch out and feel a little more refreshed. I know I definitely probably have sleep apnea. I snore so loud at home and can proudly say I am so talented that my family says I can snore laying on my stomach.I am pretty sure you could hear me outside my truck if you walked by the kids said its louder than a freight train. I usually read myself to sleep at night and then I get up and drive all day only stopping when I have to and never take breaks. My wife doesn’t understand why I don’t exercise especially now that they have finally put some work out centers in some of the truck stops. My wife has also always wondered how you can work for a company and why the DOT Certified doctors don’t have a way of checking to see what medications you take since it all goes into a state computer system)and since I like most people never tell them the whole truth about my medical problems and get away with it. I know this is my life and this is how I make money and I know their are other drivers out there doing the same sort of thing. i.e., such as diabetics using insulin and still driving because that’s their career. My wife thinks they should rally on capital hill for some kind of nation wide system that would give the DOT certified doctors access to prescription medications that are being prescribed so they would have more say about their physicals and most guys like this would have to find a new career. I have had DOT checks and my logs are always correct (even the electronic ones I am getting used to now) but no one has ever looked inside my truck and if they did I am not sure if they would even go through your personal things. I carry my meds in a small cooler that sits on the floor or one corner of the bed in the sleeper. So under conditions that I live in if I was ever in a wreck I guess insurance might not pay with all the medications I have to take. Are company safety and compliance allowed by law to look in your truck and go things if they wanted to? Where are the boundaries? Oh, I forgot I started this with what is the difference between a Cpap and bi pap machine. And what Drs are out there that are truly certified to do these sleep studies? If I did one where do the results go? Just me or DOT and the company? Just curious and look forward to any nice knowledgeable comments.
I went in for my DOT physical and the doc pulled out the tape measures and told me it was 15 and he thinks I need a sleep study . I filled out questionaire answered No No No to all the questions next thing I know I am pulled off my job for 45 days I’ve never had an issue ,they put me in 2 sleep study’s at $6000 a piece I did not even sleep at all maybe 1 hour at the end and they woke me up at 5am . I don’t see how they got any results when I only slept 1 hour. Now I am forced to wear cpap I get less sleep than ever worrying about this thing on my face and if its leaking or not . I hate it I feel worse I sleep fine on my own
My story too. I kept notes of my activity the night i was monitored and when receiving th test results they showed nothing similar to what I actually did. I’m watching TV and they show I’m in deep REM! Its all bogus and I’m fighting it now.PPD in Houston is who sceened me.
Does anyone know if the online/mobile sleep studies done at home are dot approved?My fiancé got sent for a dot physical today for a new trucking job because it’s been a year since his last physical even though his previous medical card doesn’t expire til 2015.The examiner took his blood pressure which was borderline & the examiner told him he has to see a Dr. 1st to find out if he has high blood pressure. The requirements of the dot state at least 2 readings on 2 separate days but only one was performed. He confessed he had drank an energy drink and a cup of coffee earlier. Had we known he was going for a physical today he wouldn’t have had either one.Also his BMI was 5 over so the examiner told him he also needed a sleep study test to see if he has sleep apnea.Were both out of work at the moment and this could cost him his trucking career not to mention our savings due to no insurance.He wasissued a 3 month temporary dot medical card.Not sure now if the company he is applying for will hire him now or wait and see what the results are first. Please let us know if the online/mobile sites are dot approved as this would save us from having to spend all our savings.Thanks.
Ultimately, medical examiners can decide on a case-by-case basis whether to accept a mobile sleep apnea test instead of a sleep study at a clinic, so you should ask your medical examiner which method he will accept. Regardless of the method used for diagnosis, if the tests detect sleep apnea then your fiance will have to treat it before a medical examiner will give him a medical card. Get insurance. If your income is low, your rates will be heavily subsidized by the government on the health insurance exchanges.
It has become obvious to me that the sleep studies are a hoax to put all CDL drivers on a cpap machine and not risk misdiagnosis. The sleep centers and drivers I have questioned have indicated a almost 100% failure rate and since there is no way to get a second opinion for the dot. There is not a way to improve your physical condition to get off of the machine.
I feel the same way about it as you do. It’s a complete scam. Our company has been doing volunteer testing and so far about 95% or more have failed, large and small. Most of the guys have said the sleep study people already have a cpap machine in a box with their name on it before they even walk into the facility. A complete joke.
That’s the truth
Well we have our results; In the 6 hours of his 2nd sleep study he had 0 episodes. That was without the MAD(mandibular advancement device.) He is now off that infernal machine. He had a good Dr. to start. This retest confirmed what we already knew. He never had apnea to the point of needing this machine. The thing with my truck driver, He goes against the grain the industry and regulators are pushing as indicators for sleep apnea. We are very sure he is not the only one.
-He is overweight – 15lbs.
-Neck size of 18 1/2
-He snores
-He is a truck driver
Sleep is a funny thing, some nights are great and some are not. We all know that! So many factors come into play here. With over 75 different sleep disorders I struggle to see the reasoning behind the industry requiring its drivers comply with a hand full of devices based on one or two sleep studies and I have yet to come across any real statistics giving weight one way or the other on this in regards to safety.
Now the Dr. ( not in favor of this blanket mandate) wants to use his experience as a test case. Not everyone can benefit from CPAP use. In fact in our case was becoming a real issue, this man was seriously sleep deprived being forced to comply with its use.
On a similar note the other day I found out my daughter in law 23 years old barely weighing 90 lbs. had a sleep study last year (because her mother is a hypochondriac and insisted the whole family get one because she did) Any how she had the study done and had 10 episodes an hour. So the BS about size weight Blah Blah Blah thing is I believe speculative at best.
You are so right. I haven’t gotten a good nights sleep since they claimed I failed…no prior issues or symptoms, been driving 18yrs …its complete bs
Thank you for looking into this and making a list. My husband just started new job and went to renew his DOT card and they told him his neck was too big, they said, “you could have sleep apnea”. I have sleep apnea and Im not fat. So all the guys at his new job are getting the same lame answers. No one has thousands of dollars to get this testing done. Again thank you for researching it. I will pass this list on to the company.
I went to a company and at orientation there were 6 of us.. all 6 of us the doctor said y’all have sleep apnea and never checked us out.. well they tested me and said ya you have it.. I tried the machine out and sleep worse.. well things went south with this company and i had to quit.. now I am trying to get back with my old company and they said I had to get a physical again and let the doctor see if I’m a candidate for this.. I sleep with this thing like I was told and sleep worse.. I took it off and sleep great.. they asked why aren’t you wearing it 4 hrs a night, said I have nightmares all the time and I end up ripping it off my face.. well this is aspose to help me sleep but it doesn’t.. wish I could figure something out to do..
I PAID ALLTRANSMEDICAL $349+ FOR THE HOME SLEEP STUDY FOR MY STEPSON ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THEY REQUIRED ANOTHER $900 TEST TO FIGURE OUT WHAT EQUIPMENT HE NEEDED TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM. THE TEST IS NOT REQUIRED IN TEXAS, SO HE FOUND ANOTHER DOT DOCTOR THAT DID NOT REQUIRE THE SLEEP STUDY AND GOT HIS DOT CARD FOR $75.
I DON’T KNOW IF HE WOULD HAVE EVENTUALLY GOT A CARD BY CONTINUING WITH ALL TRANS MEDICAL AND THE FIRST EVALUATOR OR NOT.
I thought once the dot physical doc put it in the system, you have to have the sleep study and going to another dot doc won’t work. That you still have to have it. We are in Houston, TX too.
Apparently there is a connection between the Sleep Study Suppliers/CPAP manufacturers representatives and all of these quacks that could only find a job at a “minute clinic”. Just like pharmaceutical reps, this industry sends salespeople out to these clinics to convince the doctors/nurses that they should be pushing these devices. In return, they receive free catered lunches and “rebate” checks. This is payola in the most disturbing way. Eventually there will be no good drivers left on the road, and the bad ones will be replaced by robotic trucks. I’ve had enough.
What all trucking companies pay for your sleep study?