I'm in a sleep apnea pickle.

Call Aeroflow ,they do testing. Costs $200.00. It is done at home, all you need is a doctor's order.

 

Not always some companies accept a current physical with a long form some don't

 

The thing with sleep apnea I think most people will say they sleep fine and feel good. It happens over time and you don't even notice the difference or that your not sleeping good. It just becomes normal for each person.

I can remember drivers falling asleep in the TV room at truck stop and you could hear them snore or gasping for air. I did not know it then but that sleep apnea. You could hear them clear as day snoring and waking themselves up and falling back to sleep.

 

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the two studies that this entire FMCSA thing is about are flawed, the first one by the University of Virginia stated right in the preface that there is no connection to a lack of sleep in accidents and the accidents themselves. That study didn't see any information taken at the time of the accident that indicated the people were asked about their sleep habits.

The second study also found no correlation between sleep and accidents, and they also said that there is no clear connection between the two. This one was about sleep apnea and the stress the body goes through.

In the recent accident reporting format, tiredness is now being examined but still that is just in the last year or so, so the issue is still when people make this claim there is nothing to back it up.

For me, who has sleep apnea, I have for the past 13 years gone through hoops and ran around trying to get my DOT doc appeased to allow me to drive with the exception of last year's examine which was an all day event and got it signed off until this May, however I heard that it has become rather stupid in what people are expected to go through. So on one hand I understand why people need to be tested - they have a serious problem that can cut their life short, but on the other hand the FMCSA is really screwed up in thinking we are airline pilots who are going to fly a plane with 500 people on board.

 

https://cpapamerica.com

Claims sleep apnea test for $250 I just found it from truckers group on Facebook.

 

I'm not sure of which companies do not require another physical. However I have to say how interesting it is here that most of the time these truckers tell you to pick your company carefully. To not go to the bottom feeder companies but to find good companies. But now many are saying they won't go to one that requires a sleep study, and recommending you do the same, thereby picking your company by that criteria..... I guess it's just an interesting way to pick your next employer.

That being said, UK, I feel your pain. I started a similar situation back at the beginning of December. I had a valid DoT from MD but I went to one of those companies that require a physical at their own Dr, and was sent home for a sleep study. After leaving my old job and insurance behind. It's been a struggle. I had enough cash put aside for December, but January and February have been tough. I finally, after 67 days, got a CPAP and have been using it for 11 days now. 19 to go. Yes, bills are not being paid, many an arrangement is being made. It seems I'm on the phone every day trying to hold someone at bay. I've had a few interviews, some by phone and some in a neighboring town (costing me gas money I don't have) but the only acceptance I have so far doesn't start their training (not trucking) until March 13. The same time I can get into the trucking company. I've always paid my debts, and I will this time as well. I just need a little more time. I may not have it. At my 30 day mark when I can actually get hired by a trucking company that will be mid March. If I can't swing my rent for February that will put me 60 days behind and they start eviction procedures. The ladies in the office don't want to do it, but their hands are tied by company policy so I understand. But once they start, there is no going back and paying. You're out anyway. So if I can't come up with it within the next 20 days I may have fought and scraped to stay where I am for nothing in the end. It's so close, I see the end of it, but it may be too late anyway. It's frustrating. But I keep fighting. Coming up with a new plan today that may help, or may not, but I keep trying.

And if you really want to do this job, you will too. Don't give up because of some test. Find a way to take it. There is a way, you just have to look harder, try harder, find a way.


Ed

 

Do you have symptoms of sleep apnea? Do you wake up tired in the morning? Do you get a full 8 hours of sleep each night?

Long term, if you really want to get into trucking, there are two things you can do. You can lose weight.....and you can excercise.

There is technology available to do a sleep apnea test at home.....cost should be a lot less. Not sure how a clinic doing physicals will accept such a test, but it would be worth checking it out.

I had a 600 lb guy in my cdl class. When he went to dot to take the driving test, they failed him and told the instructor to not bring him back for a retest. I suspect the 600 lb guys you see did not weigh that much when they took their dot driving test. Trucking is very sedentary and it is easy to gain weight.

 

If you are in the range of morbidly obese, consider it a blessing that you are having a hard time getting into trucking. Maybe humping groceries or a beverage truck wouldn't be too bad but OTR will kill you with the sedentary lifestyle.

 

This seems like a reasonable alternative to doing a hospital based sleep study, based on the price. If it uses 12 sensors to stick to your body, I am not sure how it detects a bad connection....that would be a question to ask them. They indicate they will give you a written report from a doctor, which is what you would need for the dot clinic.