New DOT Physical Requirements?

Is your husband being treated for sleep apnea? Does he have a CPAP or BiPAP machine and use it? If he does and he is consistant with using it, I don't understand why he can't get hired. That does not even make sense. Why would they not hire someone with something as treatable as sleep apnea? There are people out there driving with all kinds of chronic conditions. Why do they say they won't hire him? How did he get his training/CDL? I mean, for heavens sake, there are plenty of people in jobs that demand a lot that have sleep apnea. I just don't get it.

Also, sounds to me like the costs you quoted are billed charges. Those are hugely different than the contracted rates. Billed charges are pretty bogus, unless you are paying out of pocket and not using health insurance. Contracted rates could be 10 - 25% of those numbers.

 

The army and the va paid those bills,being as we're both veterans all of our healthcare needs are covered(so far,lol).His sleep apnea is/was just bad enough that the army couldn't use him as a combat soldier anymore so he took the offered retirement over leaving the job he loved to do to do something else.
He has and uses his CPAP machine,plus,he has a therapy dog that will wake him up when ever he has a bad night,she doesn't bring him to a total wake up,just enough that he will breath and roll over.He got his CDL through the army and had it transfered to a civilian licence.Each company that turned him down he had them show him their company policy on sleep apnea,after the 8th turn down he gave up.
Plus,he takes welbutran as part of the stop smoking treatment offered through the va,since welbutran is a mind altering drug he was turned down and hung up on with one company before he could tell her about the sleep apnea.
His mother,father,myself and several other family members all tried to help get him into a truck ( he grew up in a trucking family ),but the sleep apnea stopped him every time.
But don't feel sorry for him,he took his doctor release back and had him reword it from being able to operate a tractor trailer to being fully fit to work in a possible hostile environment.He left 2 weeks ago to go work over seas as a logistics manager(no combat like stuff,pure office work, thank god).And the pay ? .
Do I like it?No,but I support him.Do I worry? You better believe I do.

 

Unbelievable! (By the way, Wellbutrin is not a mind-altering drug, but an antidepressant, unless you count the way it works on the chemicals in the brain as mind altering. If is is used for smoking cessation then he should have been able to get a letter stating that is being taken for that purpose, the length of time to be on it and how he is doing on the stopping part. And I give him really high marks for quitting.) I have to have a letter regarding a medication I am on, and the form that goes to the prescribing doctor spells out what the letter has to say. And FYI, one of the side effects of Wellbutrin is - sleeplessness! Since I deal with pharmacy issues every day, I can tell you there are thousands of people from all walks of life - a lot of them are nurses and doctors - who are on antidepressants and function just fine.

I guess this really bugs me because it seems so totally ignorant on the part of the people doing the hiring. Is there really some federal regulation out there that prohibits hiring drivers with sleep apnea?

I'm glad your DH has a good job, but that is just messed up!

 

The definition of "mind-altering drug"....A drug that can produce mood changes and distorted preceptions.

Sounds like an antidepressant to me.

 

Hey people, I just completed my orientation with Averitt, and YES, the DOT doc did examine every driver, for signs of Sleep Apnea, height and weight had to be within your BMI guidelines etc. We had two or three drivers that were told their neck size indicated a possibility of sleep apnea and they were scheduled for tests, but nothing to completely disqualify anyone. I guess in answer to the original question, yes at least Averitt is checking these things.

 

This is the best example of a federal agencey that has gotten out of control and the rules are getting out of hand. The worst thing is the goverement idiots who created them. These idoits can't find jobs in the private sector so our goverements hires them.
Unlike Hitler wanting his nations medical research to find ways to start a superior race of humans the DOT is on the same track.
I had an opperation in 2001 and every year I have to get an note from my doctor saying I can drive.
Been driving for twenty six years with a perfect record but every year I am question about the opperation from a different doctor and the worse thing is that every physical the doctors have that right no matter what records they have, all the medical records you have provided nor a hand written letter from God, they still can ask for a letter from your doctor. This has been going on for seven years and every year I go through the same thing. Why the hell don't the rules apply to evey driver on the road?

 

I hardly think an antidepressant causes "distorted perceptions". And what is wrong with correcting an imbalance of chemicals in the brain to improve one's mood? I suppose by that logic it would be wrong to "shoot up" insulin, or even take birth controll pills to correct an imbalance of hormones there, also. It sounds as though you perceive antidepressants to be "happy pills" which they most definately are not. If an taking an antidepressant so there is a correction in seratonin levels and thereby increasing the ability to concentrate and focus, and therefore, productivity, helping to correct sleep cycles, and decreasing things such as irritablility or tiredness, and increasing the feeling of wellbeing is mood altering, then I suppose that would be true. I don't think there are many people (at least in my experience) that are "tripping" on antidepressants, nor do they want to be on them. But they do help hundreds of thousands of people, so nothing wrong with that. (And don't even get started on "how many doctors just hand people pills without looking at the source of the problem" because we know that happens, but not in every case.)

 

According to the A.M.A., abount 83% of Americans suffer some form of sleep apena and of course this includes the drivibg public.
The Department of Transportation is dangeriously close to the American Disibilties Act and other civil lawsuites.
It's always their research and findings that is put into action without ever being question until Congress acts.
What does the DOT want, a race of super truckers?

 

Speaking of Welbutrin(generic: Bupropion), this drug is also being used for Adult ADHD, SAD&MDD(Seasonal Affective Disorder and Major Depression Disorder.) As for ADHD, I was diagnosed with this as a child. I was given ritalin which I only took for 2 weeks because my mom said it made me mean. I have had a couple of accidents since I started driving back in 2001, both due to inattention(though I didn't tell anyone that at the time). I wasn't terminated for the last one and haven't had any problems since. I am just a little concerned about going in to a doctor and telling them this and asking for a prescription for an anti depressant. I'd love to be "normal", but I have almost forgot what normal is now. Living with ADHD as an adult actually leads to depression due to the inability to keep a job, financial problems as well as the inability to maintain any serious relationship. I have seen a document on the FMCSA's website regarding psychological issues, incuding ADHD and I also understand the safety issues involved. Any suggestions from the audience here?

 

N4, If you're concerned about the issues with drug tests and the employer finding out about your condition; I had a friend in the same boat who was a heavy equipment operator, but would loose his job if the company found out or he had to take a drug test, so he quit taking his meds. He told me he found a good health food store and doctor that specialized in herbal, vitamin supplements and natural healing. He was told what supplements to get at the health food store and everything has been great since. He was taking some vitamins and some types of herbal supplements and never had another problem. I can't get in touch with him now, but I would at least look into it. Can't hurt!!!!