I have a ?

as long as you are using your c-pap you can drive although it might be hard at presant finding a company willing to hire you, there are a LOT of drivers with experience and perfect health looking for work the companies are very picky right now.

 

Some might hire you, but they may order their own sleep study done.

 

How is your blood pressure? If you have high blood pressure it will disqualify you from keeping a CDL.

I believe it has to be under 140/90, anything over that and you run into limitations on your med cert.

Other than that, TELL THE DOC GIVING YOU THE PHYSICAL NOTHING, except you feel great and you're ready to go. They look for anything to disqualify you.

 

You are so right. My company has gone overboard with the sleep apnea deal.
Best to not even admit to snoring either.
And if they give you a questionaire, don't answer anything negative in regards to your sleeping habits.
I have a blocked nasal passage that causes some problems. Been that way all my life. I figure if it was going to kill me, it would have done so by now, so I have learned to just keep my mouth shut.

 

You need to tell the DOT doctor about your previous diagnosis of sleep apnea. If you don't tell them when you get your DOT physical you open up a WHOLE BIG can of worms you really don't want to get into.

If you have an accident and it comes out you have sleep apea and did not list it on your DOT physical.... There is a driver in Kansas facing jail time because he had sleep apnea and was not using his CPAP when he had an accident.

You will need to provide documentation from your treating sleep doctor that you are "under current and effective treatment". Most DOT examiners want to see a download from your CPAP machine. If you have an older CPAP that does not have data recording capabilities they may require some other testing to ensure you are being treated effectively.

There are companies that seem to discriminate against drivers with sleep apnea. If you run into this be prepared to file a complaint with the EEOC. Sleep apnea is a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act.. refusing to hire you only because of sleep apenea is a violation of the ADA. The issue is they often find other reasons than sleep apnea.

Been on a CPAP for 7 years now driving truck. You can get hired . some companies have good testing and treatment programs for sleep apnea where all your costs are covered by the company.. (check Swift and Schneider).

Good luck