The Department of Transportation has officially taken aim at sleep apnea and is asking for input from drivers on its advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) which can be read here.
According to the DOT, if a driver suffers from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) “eight hours of sleep can be less restful or refreshing than four hours of ordinary, uninterrupted sleep” and as such, sleep apnea becomes a “critical safety issue.”
One of the accidents cited as an example of how much of a safety risk OSA can be occurred when a trucker hit a Tennessee Highway Patrol vehicle and killed the state trooper in side. It notes that the driver was 5’11”, weighed 358 pounds, had been diagnosed with OSA and had previously undergone surgery for it, but had not disclosed either fact during his medical certification exams. The NTSB then found that either the driver’s OSA, hypothyroidism, or complications from either or both made him more likely to fall asleep at the wheel.
In the past, it has been proposed that sleep apnea testing be made a mandatory part of a driver’s medical exam. Presumably, if a driver was found to have moderate to severe OSA, they would risk being declared medically unfit to drive.
The ANPRM hasn’t actually proposed any new rules concerning sleep apnea yet, but states that the DOT is looking for input from the public on how it should proceed until June 8th.
You can submit a comment by going to www.regulations.gov and enter “FMCSA-2015-0419” or “FRA-2015-0111” in the search box.
Source: federalregister, truckinginfo, overdriveonline, thehill, fleetowner, sleepreviewmag, bloomberg
“The public”
Who do the people working for the DOT think they are?
Perhaps they should look for input from medical professionals.
Medical professionals are also involved on that ‘part of the cake’, no use, but if the government requires us truck drivers for sleep apnea tests and are concerned about our weight, then the ‘public’ should be also tested, I mean everyone that drives ANY type of vehicle, what about all the fat assess * that I look at everyday out of my window, ANYONE could be a risk driver and therefore accountable, that’s all I have to say about that.
With the severe lack of pay, third world working conditions, idiots coming at us from every angle, i.e. Dispatch, DOT, truck parking problems, crap food choices, who really needs this crap profession ??
Buy an economy car and drive for Uber / Lyft. Your pay will be much more, and you will be healthier and much less stressed. Trucking is for fools any more . 23 years, and out ……….
Are we not already over regulated? Maybe tired drivers are a result of the 14 hr rule or going from driving during the day one day then having to drive at night the next. From what I understand the sleep apnea test is like 3000 dollars then they make the driver pay for it. Then they only have one example of a driver that fell asleep?
Simply require the federal government cover all test costs and related costs including the equipment (CPAP) and this will go away. This is back to let a driver take a sleep break when he/she needs it rather than dictating when they will rest and when they will drive.
Amen
Exactly, thats what electronic log book do to drivers. They cant take a few hours nap if they feel sleepy because they not gona be able to fully use their driving hours later. Electronic log book is just not forgiving. And if drivers will take naps their dispatchers will yel at them, why they are driving even slover than log boock let them. And because some times you have morning deliveries, some times evening and some times noon you need to have something flexible like a paper log book. With paper log driver can be maximum productive and sleep whenever he wants and take naps whenewer he feels sleepy.
I hear you Vic. Though we can’t win the fight asking to go back to paper so that we can falsify. Do away with the controlling, micro managing laws, & just don’t drive fatigued.
Right on
10-4 Gordon
I sold my truck almost 3 years ago due to the draconian regs. I’ve been thinking about returning to 18 wheels, but it’s looking like that would be a mistake because I am 5’9″, 190lbs., muscular build….but I snore !!! I’ve never had a DOT violation, no accidents, no freight claims, but dagnabbit, I SNORE !!!!
I think medics dont know everything about OSA and snoring relation. I snore sometimes too. My wife says. But when i lay down i always fall asleap very slowly even if im supertired.
Not only is the government going to tell me when I am tired now they are going to tell me my rest is not good enough ! It’s a good thing I still can go to the bathroom by myself !
Sir, you must log a urination break once every 4 hours and a defecation break at least once a day. Failure to comply will give you CSA points.
This is why I’m looking at going into other less regulated areas of transportation, besides shippers will be looking into those areas after the government regulates so many others out of business anyways and I’ll be waiting!
Give the government and the corporations that have bought and paid for these regulations all the rope they want and need to hang themselves.
Greed knows no bounds…
I had to go thru all the testing for sleep apnea, 1 sleep study and an 2 appointments with a pulmonary Doctor. I’m 6′-2″ 300lbs 40″ waist and a 18″ neck. My neck size was the reason I had to do the sleep study. I do not snore and sleep study came back with no apnea events recorded during the 8 hour test period. I have filed a lawsuit against the doctor who made me go thru all this unnecessary testing and hopefully it will discourage him in the future to send others to go thru this BS over your dam neck size. I know some drivers with sleep apnea that have perfect driving records and multiple million mile safe driving awards and are forced to go thru all this BS. The FMCSA is a useless part of the government and needs to be abolished, just look at all the crap they have been pushing into law in the name of safety our taxpayers money hard at work!!
Good for you… More lawsuits should be filed as this is nothing but a money making scheme. The company that I used to work for, over one third of the drivers are required to use the CPAP machine. You can’t tell me that one third of the drivers have sleep apnea.
Also, their “events” during sleep, studies have shown that it is NORMAL for breathing to slow and sometimes stop during REM sleep.
The other issue of course is that there are three FDA certified treatments for sleep apnea AND DOT recognizes them. However, insurance companies like the CPAP because it can RECORD COMPLIANCE and yes, the money.
And speaking the obvious here… Don’t want tired drivers… Get the dispatchers to schedule deliveries better.
Agreed
I completely agree that sleep apnea makes a HUGE difference to a person if they have it. It really does, in effect, take away the equivalent of 3 or more hours of sleep….That being said…My hypothyroidism makes me more tired than even the apnea!
I have recently been put on CPAP. I will say that I AM sleeping better. That’s the upside of this, and the ONLY upside. The DOT, in their infinite pointy headed wisdom has caused me a ton of grief over this. They require all kinds of tests, which are both time consuming and EXPENSIVE. Then you have to go back to the clinic with 30 days of data proving compliance to get a 90 day TEMPORARY medical card. Then you have to go back AGAIN with 90 days of data to get your annual medical card. In addition to all this, EACH year that you obtain subsequent medical clearance you need to bring in 90 days of data. The clinic that requires all this, at the behest of the DOT, will NOT be able to download your data from the SIM card in your CPAP machine. Where in the world does DOT think we can find the time for all this as well as the time off?
there is freeware you can down load to read your sim card. It’s called sleepyhead.com.
As a respiratory therapist who has been actively involved with OSA since 1998, it is not just the driver who has a high BMI or large neck size. At least 1/3 of the patients I have set up on CPAP are thin or close to their ideal weight. There is an inexpensive way to screen for sleep apnea already available ($25) that is accurate. An advanced practice nurse I know offers it to anyone who is at risk for sleep apnea. It is commercially available thru health professionals across the country.
DOT physicals are a joke. On my last one they took my blood pressure, tapped my knee and whispered from 6 feet away to make sure I could hear
I was forced to do a sleep apnea test for no other reason other than I’m fat and I admitted that I have snored in the past. Neck size passed. Reasonable I guess. I took the test and the report stated that I indeed did not have any apneas. However, I did have hypopnea, which is defined as shallow low breathing. I later found out the test only runs for a few hours and I am almost certain I did not fall asleep during that time as it was hard with all the wires coming from my nose and chest. Now typically you breath lighter while you’re awake but when you sleep you breath deeper and heavier. This is why I believe I failed this section of the test. Needless to say I was forced to purchase a 500 dollar machine and prove that I would use it over 70% of the time at least for 30 days before they would give me my health certificate. Basically what it comes down to is this is a scam. They are using it like regular doctors do pharmaceuticals, pushing the subject and forcing people to buy their machines and have a log time of hoses and mouth/nose pieces.
Sleep Apnea is just another way the goverment and big companies to make money off the driver. Had sleep study got the cpap machine and was told that I was not in compliance so went back and they would fix machine and still was told no compliant. the only way that they were going to be able to get it worked out was for me to pay again 1200 to get another sleep study and may have to buy a new machine another 800. All of this out of my pocket. So I said forget it and got out. When I left I had spent 1200 for sleep study 800 for one machine and 800 for a second machine and more than 500 for all the supplies. company paid nothing of this big SCAM.
It’s all a joke. Someday I hope that people who come up with this crap will realize that humans can’t be 100% perfect, 100% of the time. Anything man-made is not perfect, either. Machines wear out and break. Even computers don’t run flawlessly. To say that there can never be another accident is laughable. Too many delusional people running the show…
their is a medical place here in Charlotte that does CDL physicals called Promed and because I had a 17 1/2 neck they wanted me to take a sleep study test by sitting me in a black darkened room for six hours to see if I fall asleep that was the test they wanted me to do so I disbuted its not a test and they complained to a company I was gonna go to work for so they did not hire me and I called Washington DC DOT medical board and they said that’s not a required test and the medical Doctors can order any testing they want but I had two sleep tests done in the past and both said I was marginal but not required a cpap machine but it cost me a job but I got a better job a day later but the funny part its the sister company to the company that did not want to hire me
It doesn’t matter what their survey finds, they’re going to find a a way to make it mandatory regardless. Just one more BS regulation hoop we have to jump through. The article said one incident where it might have been an issue. So here we go. If that’s the case then everyone applying for a regular license so have to go through the same crap. Just because other people don’t drive trucks,they can’t have it ? They’re still out there driving.
When they start denying cdls for osa are they going to do the same for all licenses? Does it matter if you fall asleep doind 70 miles an hour with the cruise control on in a truck or a Cadillac? You’re goung to hit at 70 no matter what.
I’m glad that I am in the position of only having three weeks, 14 days, 140 hours, 8400 minutes, left to work until retirement.
One of the very first things on my to do list is to get rid of the CDL albatross on my driver’s license.
I have several sleep apnea and I quit breathing 95 times an hour. Now I am down to 1.8 times an hour. I have more engery now then I did a couple years ago. I don’t have to take a nap very often now. If you guy and gals would look at this with an open mind you would really see the health benefits. Sleeping better lowers your blood pressure puts less stress on your heart etc. Yes I know I fought with a couple of doctors over this sleep test. The dot doctors just want to call us unsafe etc. Instead of explaining what sleep apnea can do to you the force it on us. Really look at it before you degraded it
The problem is that all these companies are running there drivers hard to make more money and pay them less. Alot of companies here in CT run hourly drivers with no ( but the punch in and out the same place everyday and don’t pay them time and a half after 40 just straight time) overtime so they have to work longer hours to make money. The government should start screwing with the companies and leave the honest working man alone
They fail to realize that they created the rules! I wonder how many of them work 14 hours, then take off for 10 hours, and then go back and work another 14 hours? The majority of this is not sleep apnea, it is work schedules that were created long ago to accommodate interstate commerce, and they now realize that there is a safety issue and are attempting to address it.
The body and mind are not designed to work like this, more so, when the graveyard shift is thrown into the equation.
They think there is a shortage of drivers now!