Swift and sleep apnea?

Ran with a Swift driver that was using one. Don't know if Swift knew or if he was using it at the time he was hired. Best bet would be to check with Swift.

 

I just saw a press release that Swift now has a sleep apnea testing and treatment program.

So I would "assume" they will hire a sleep apnea driver. Even if they do not hire you... contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Sleep apnea is a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Refusing to hire someone only because they have sleep apnea is a violation of federal law. I would be more than happy to talk you through the complaint filing procedures having been there done that before..

Good Luck

 

if you have sleep apnea the doc is required by law to tell the dot and you will be disqualified untill you have a sleep study done and prove you are being treated

 

Ok I have been real scared to say anything at all about my sleep apnea. But i have it and use a cpap machine.( I lost my school bus driving job due to this) I do not remember the doctors name in San Marcos or the name of the place I had my test done.(This was back in 07) I want to be honest but I can not afford a test without insurance. And I need to go to school and start working. So would going to a place and having my machine read and a note from a Doctor be enough for Swift?

 

The real issue Swift and the DOT medical examiner needs to answer is... Are you under current and effective treatment for your sleep apnea?

To do that they are probably going to need a copy of the original sleep study that diagnosed you with sleep apnea and a current read of the data from your CPAP machine. For example is your CPAP on a set pressure or is it set an auto-titrating (adjusts pressure automatically). If you are on set pressure the issue might be as it has been several years since you were tested the pressure may need to be adjusted. If you are on a autotitrating CPAP and its a good model that gives the doctors information about effectiveness (AHI) in the data there might not be many problems.

Your best bet is going to be apply to Swift and tell them exactly what you posted here. They should have you go over your medical status with a nurse from Occ Health. and tell you exactly what you are going to need.

Often big companies like Swift have a specific letter they will want your doctor to sign. Also, they may not accept a note from just any doctor about sleep apnea. They may want to be sure it's a doctor board certified in sleep medicine.. (ie a doctor that knows what the CPAP data means)

Swift uses a GOOD company Precision Pulmonary Diagnostics out of Houston to manage their sleep apnea testing and compliance program. The folks at PPD test and treat hundreds of truck drivers. Google Precision Pulmonary Diagnostics and give them a call explaining your situation and see what they say. As you already are on a CPAP Swift might clear you to work until your insurance kicks in then they might retest you to make sure the pressure on your CPAP is correct as it's been so long since you went on CPAP.

The biggest thing is to be honest about having sleep apnea. I don't know the details about losing a bus driving job over sleep apnea. There are laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act that protect anyone with sleep apnea from certain job actions if you have been getting treatment and compliant on CPAP use.

If you try to lie about having sleep apnea when applying you open yourself to a whole BIG can of worms about perjury on your DOT long form physical.

If you still need more information send me a PM and I have some contacts I could e-mail if needed.

 

Thank you so much for the information truckerdad57. I am in Houston now. I will look up those folks you mentioned in just a few. I am taking my machine in tomorrow where my mom takes hers to get it read. I am on a set pressure. Not very high 8.5. my machine is a ResMed S8 HumidAire Escape. And I have lost quite a bit of weight since I started using it.I do not have the full mask just the one that goes over your nose. Again thank you!

 

Ok had a new study done! I no longer need the Machine. I probably according to this study never needed it in the first place. That why I have been ripping the the mask off in my sleep. So no more worries!!

 

Did anyone ever find out what the rules are for drivers going to training that have Sleep Apnea and are going to training. My recruiter just said bring my sleep study, but did not offer more information.