Dot physical

They are suspended.

As far as the Trump working for drivers, forget that for the time being. There are many enemies chipping away at our President actively trying to remove him from the white house. Truckers are not that valued in DC and it's current toxic situation.

I could care less one way or another politically, that is not why I am writing. Im trying to illustrate that the rules were suspended, about 800 of them. The president is not in a position at the moment to do much of anything. Congress has made sure of that when they destroyed recent legislation.

As far as the sleep apnea, how old are you? if you are 21 and young, that should not even be anywhere near the issue here. Answer no on that DOT test for everything unless... a doctor can detect and prove something wrong with you. Or that you are already under a active treatment.

If DOT physicals sent everyone to sleep lap for three nights and days, no one will be driving. That's not really the problem. It's a relatively recent door to hell that got opened in the last 10 years or so, much more than normal.

Sleeping in a big truck under time constraints is already a problem. Adding sleep apnea and it's mask problems etc gaurantees no one will sleep now. Or ever. I probably have it or not. My ex never really indicated a problem with me at night sleeping (I do snore...) with breathing. But that would be one thing I will never participate in. I don't care if it kills me. I can think of many worse ways to go.

 

No, you can get certified,usually without much trouble. It depends on other things as well. Like are you on blood pressure medication, are you overweight, and a few other things. If you use a cpap machine and you are using, make sure you say so. I perform DOT physicals every day and most people I see who have been diagnosed like using their machines and it helps. Just being overweight and in BP meds does not mean you have to go for apnea testing. Its up to the individual examiner.

 

I just go to a place run by a chiropractor that cranks out physicals, $45 and I'm in and out in 30 minutes. Pee in a cup, get weighed, blood pressure, vision and get the paperwork finished.

 

I'm a certified medical examiner and do dot physicals all the time. The FMCSA leaves certain things up to our discretion, and sending someone for a sleep study is not always necessary. Depends on the examiner. There's drivers who are very heavy who are not candidates for a sleep study, and I give them a 2 year card. Even if a driver has been diagnosed with sleep apnea, and uses a CPAP, you can still get a CDL and a medical card.