Crete Carrier - A Year In Review - Fall 2013 Going Forward

When I was there only those who's neck was 19" or larger and/or who's BMI(body mass index) was over 35 get tested. At 5'10" 220, your BMI is 31.6. So unless you have a larger that normal neck size, or unless they have changed their testing thresholds again, you shouldn't have to be tested. Or, there was an online questionnaire you had to fill out, and depending on how you answered, you might be tested.

And how do you know you don't have sleep apnea? Most people who have it don't know they have it until they're tested.

 

If I had not been allowed to bring my CPAP machine from Schneider when I hired on, I wouldn't have hired on. I did the research beforehand and was aware of their policy. But they let me, and I'm still here. If that changes, I'll be out the door quicker than you can say "bogus".

 

I have had mild sleep apnea since I was a teenager. I forget what they called it then... I sleep on an incline, head above feet, and sleep just fine without a machine. It has more to do with your soft pallet than being over weight. But it is easier to find a soft pallet within an overweight person. The soft tissue blocks your airway. Sleeping on an incline prevents my soft tissue from blocking the airway. That is all the positive pressure from a machine does, prevents the soft tissue from blocking your airway.

I would find those parking spots in truck stops that would put me on an incline... and if I could not find one, then I had a foam wedge to put under my mattress.

In my humble opinion, cpap machines are over prescribed. Sleep labs and cpaps are big money, when there are much less expensive ways to detect and treat.

 

There are other alternatives to CPAP, this is 1 thing that will end my employment here. I'm not overweight and sleep apnea was never mentioned when I hired on, if they ever tell me I need to do a sleep test I will give my immediate termination notice as I will not be one of the sheep and risk tagging my cdl for ANY company. If DOT ever makes this a requirement (sleep test) I will leave this industry.
I drive because I WANT to not because I NEED to

 

You are correct, the easiest and least expensive for mild apnea patients is something that looks like the retainer kids had to wear in school. I remember a couple years ago JD had posted some kind of spray he found.

The reason the DOT won't require it is mainly because they can't get a correlation between OSA and safety...Health issues, perhaps, but they cannot get enough evidence to prove that accidents are caused by the sleepiness that apnea causes during the day. Without that "smoking gun" as proof, they would have a hard time convincing the powers that be to allow a regulation that would devastate an industry so vital to the economy of the whole country. I know many who feel as you do (me included), make me get tested and I will wave at least 1 finger, or all 5 bye-bye...

 

The Qualcomm told me this morning that I went over my 70 hours,
found out if I do a msg 51, I have to round off the hours I put in there, I put 05:08 instead of 05:00.
Reset accepted, plenty of hours left.

At first, I thought they denied my reset because I went to the BB next door for a wash on my day off .

 

Seems like crete has a lot of freight going
West I've turned down 4 loads going west
Picked up in florence, sc heading to Michigan
Got 880 miles left and not much left on my 70 lol
I don't Wana take a reset until I get home
If it starts snowing next time I'm out I may take time off

 

Well, WEST to me Means "West Of Lincoln".

 

Finally a load I can relax on, 1800 miles and delivers near home on Monday, although it ain't got a delivery appt yet. I might swing by home before I deliver,
my luck, they'll get me an appt on Thursday.

 

Delivered my Lathrop load...picked up in Santa Clara headed to Indio for 9AM Tuesday.