Sleep Apnea And Your CDL

Sorry folks. Sleep apnea is a disqualifying condition for a dot medical card unless it's treated.

This assume you have been tested and diagnosed.
Check the regs.

 

The entire so labeled "sleep apnea" trucking community is getting fleeced or being put out of their driving jobs.

A doctor just told me that no matter how healthy a person is, there are still "indicators" that sleep study physicians can point to in order to label you with "sleep apnea."

How would you like to have a two way microphone constantly listening in on your bedroom behavior? That's right. A two way, gps controlled at the other end, microphone located right next to your bed where you and your honey sleep, talk, and... Well you get the idea.

It's an EnergyStar device, complete with all the constant feedback capabilities for continuous monitoring... and listening. Check out the internet for all the data a CPAP feeds back to its 24/7/365 monitoring station... and crew ... and data files for YOUR CRAP.

The entire program is about nothing other than to rake in billions of dollars into medical coffers, medical device coffers, goverment coffers and ... Well, you get the idea.

I know one driver who was off by 1 point on what turned out to be a very, very mild case of "sleep apnea."

Facts:
A home sleep study measures less body functions than at a sleep study place. (that's a good thing - - for you... For them, not so much, but wgaf.)
Sleep study medical personnel only make money if they claim that you have sleep apnea. Positive results mean more repeat (and by the law) business.
Once a prescription from an md is taken by you, you are legally required to comply. But if no prescription accepted, then no compliance is required.
So, if you get an "almost, but well, maybe not quite" do not accept the diagnosis and do not take any prescription (not ever "just in case, for later").

Most sleep med critters know only the o-t-r description that they were taught in their certification class. Certification class instructors only get paid if there are students who sign up to get "sleep certified" by the govmint for dot physicals. Nice closed-loop strategy to hang us by the cur-lies.

Rather got us truckers by the short hairs on this money maker.

Maybe they will rethink their options when their store shelves go bare....
Either that, or they will have to replace us long-term drivers with the last few years of border - jumpers who don't speak english, don't know road signs, are given a pass at dot exams, etc... and are sucking the life out of our tax dollars.

 

May God bless all of you who have been through this or know about it, your words have comforting to me being that I have been diagnosed and been driving for over 20 years and a single parent with bills & a daughter in college thanks you so much.

 

The BS about sleep apnea testing runs deep. The jerks at Conventya and Ohio Health Med said I had to have a sleep study done due to my weight. They REFUSED to listen to me. I sleep like a log and I don't snore. The sports medicine clinics are far more understanding.

 

Certified Medical Examiner here, and the sleep study/sleep apnea topic has been confusing for a lot of people. The FMCSA requires us to do certain procedures of the exam, and they also leave certain things up to our discretion. Measuring necks is not required and up to the discretion of your medical examiner. I've done physicals on drivers who are very heavy, and there's no indication that there's problems with sleep apnea, and I've given them a 2 year card. Depends on each driver and the big picture.