Sleep Apnea Screening for Truckers Stirs Debate

[D.H.]

Certainly, anybody who drives for a living needs to be screened. Large vehicles such as buses or eighteen-wheel trucks are especially dangerous and need priority testing. Of course, it's wrong to tell the drivers that they need to be tested and then make them pay a steep price for it. Certainly the larger employers should pay for it (either directly or through the health insurance that they offer employees).

Link ===> https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigatio ... 04511.html

[realshelby]

Forcing sleep apnea testing on truck drivers might seem to solve a problem. But the facts are that truck drivers actually have a very, very good record of safety. They already work under a heavy burden of rules. Did you know a truck driver that is diabetic must be able to control it WITHOUT insulin? If they take insulin, they cannot drive commercially. High blood pressure? Better keep it under the medical standards or you lose your CDL. Sleep apnea? Well, if your Doctor diagnoses that and prescribes CPAP, you MUST stay under compliance at all times while on the road. If not, you cannot drive.

I won't say it wouldn't do some good. Most here have no idea what it is like to be on the road for weeks at a time, eat not so healthy food ( where can you go with a big truck to eat?), and not get paid for waiting hours and hours on delivery and pickup. They are so heavily restricted now that there are serious driver shortages.

If I were a driver, and know what I do now about the difference in how you feel and the improvements it makes in keeping you alert I would WANT to be tested. But as far as laws go, let the Doctors decide that for now.

My opinion

[greatunclebill]

All of the increased regulations including apnea testing are an attempt to continually lower the number of available trucks and drivers in the future, while increasing safety in the near term.

The reason, of course is to bring driverless, solar powered electric trucks on line with lower impact on the cdl driving force.

It's in the beginning stages today, but when it comes, it will come relatively fast, just like led light bulbs an hd-tv. CEO Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla expects to manufacture as many as 100,000 electric trucks per year.

[RiverDave]

Personally, I have no problem testing professional drivers. I'm sure methamphetamines (and other substances) are a bigger problem. Greatunclebill - not sure this rise to the level of governmental/industrial conspiracy. As a friend of mine said - "if you think the government can carry out a conspiracy, you've never worked for the government"

[Stom]

Forcing sleep apnea testing on truck drivers might seem to solve a problem. But the facts are that truck drivers actually have a very, very good record of safety. They already work under a heavy burden of rules. Did you know a truck driver that is diabetic must be able to control it WITHOUT insulin? If they take insulin, they cannot drive commercially. High blood pressure? Better keep it under the medical standards or you lose your CDL. Sleep apnea? Well, if your Doctor diagnoses that and prescribes CPAP, you MUST stay under compliance at all times while on the road. If not, you cannot drive.

I won't say it wouldn't do some good.

Those sound like some crazy requirements, the kind that prevent people from preventative medical check ups and treatments for fear that they will be out of a job! Legislators and rule makers really need to give consideration of un-intended consequences. General sleep apnea screening is not supported by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, so a law requiring it for truckers, without some specific individualized reason for a screening, doesn't seem consistent with the science or the risk relative to all the other dangers truckers and other people on the road face.

On the other hand, due to the rules you just described, seems like a trucker who suspected sleep apnea might be prone to A) ignore the issue so they don't get flagged, or B) self treat so they don't have to jump through compliance hoops. And that doesn't seem like an ideal situation, either.

[realshelby]

Those sound like some crazy requirements, the kind that prevent people from preventative medical check ups and treatments for fear that they will be out of a job! Legislators and rule makers really need to give consideration of un-intended consequences.

On the other hand, due to the rules you just described, seems like a trucker who suspected sleep apnea might be prone to A) ignore the issue so they don't get flagged, or B) self treat so they don't have to jump through compliance hoops. And that doesn't seem like an ideal situation, either.

They are already ahead of you on that. Every CDL holder ( Commercial Drivers License ) is required to take and pass a physical examination EVERY year. To make that harder, these examinations cannot be done by any Doctor, but must be done by one certified in this exact examination. There are also Drug tests.

You bring up a good point about "self" medication. I know there must be ways of getting CPAP machines without prescriptions. With some common sense you could try this without Doctor supervision. Of course you would be called out for doing that as stupid by many, but knowing what I do now I would have benefited greatly from this years ago. So would some truck drivers that are afraid to ask about this for fear of being forced into having to use one every sleep period.

[RiverDave]

Stom,

Given that some professional drivers have uncontrolled sleep apnea, and in general 18 wheeler accidents are catastrophic (especially, when smaller vehicles are involved). You make a reference to relative risk - treating SA would eliminate some of tha.t With the drug testing and other tests drivers have to go through, I don't see how a home test or clinic test would be a burden to them (other than "damn, I've got to do something extra for 8 hours"). Not sure of the science you mention.

[Stom]

Stom,

Given that some professional drivers have uncontrolled sleep apnea, and in general 18 wheeler accidents are catastrophic (especially, when smaller vehicles are involved). You make a reference to relative risk - treating SA would eliminate some of tha.t With the drug testing and other tests drivers have to go through, I don't see how a home test or clinic test would be a burden to them (other than "damn, I've got to do something extra for 8 hours"). Not sure of the science you mention.

Sleep apnea is probably not the number one sleep issue for CDL holders, though there certainly must be a number of un-diagnosed and un-treated drivers. Right now the AASM states: " It is also the position of the AASM that: the need for, and appropriateness of, an HSAT must be based on the patient's medical history and a face-to-face examination by a physician, either in person or via telemedicine". They, and other organizations, don't feel that asymptomatic general screening is warranted.

[RiverDave]

stom,

I'm not are arguing policies. I'm sure AASM has a (political) reason for their position. My point of view comes from common sense. I'm all about privacy, but some jobs preclude that.

[Goofproof]

Question, with self driving trucks, are they going to be required to follow the rules set for real truckers? Driving time limits, Tire checking and hook up, and load securing. Do they have to join the Teamsters.

I'm a Teamster, that's never driven a truck for them, I'm also a member of the U.M.W.A., A.I. didn't take my job government regulation did. Jim

[chunkyfrog]

When driving I-80 a week ago, we noticed that the ONLY crazy drivers were operating cars, pickups, and SUVs.
Just saying.

[Stom]

stom,

I'm not are arguing policies. I'm sure AASM has a (political) reason for their position. My point of view comes from common sense. I'm all about privacy, but some jobs preclude that.

I'm not sure what makes you think anything I wrote is political. "Common sense" is often just an excuse for doing something without paying attention to what solid data says. Things that seem like common sense can actually wind up not helping, or even taking away money and resources that could be used more beneficially for safety elsewhere.

As humans, we are bad at intuitively evaluating relative risk. We are easily swayed by stories, which can be non-representative of the actual risks. It's all too easy to imagine hoards of sleep deprived drivers with apnea. But that's what it is, at this point. Imagination. There isn't hard data that I know of the cost vs. outcomes for generalized screening for apnea for CDL holders.

[RiverDave]

Stom,

I never said you were making a political comment. I was referring to AASM. As far as your common sense statement - I've not seen data on it one way or another. I grant you that trucking accidents not a huge problem, but they do happen. Point being, in a fairly regulated industry, the burden is not that high for testing. Sure, accidents happen. But there is an infrastructure that could easily address part of the issue

[Rob K]

Self driving vehicles. Electronics are complicated; many things can break or go wrong. This sounds like a real bad idea. Let drivers keep their jobs, that sounds like a much better idea. I'm sure it happens, but I can't think of the last time I seen a trucker do something reckless. They are some of the safest drivers on the road. It's the people in the small vehicles going around them that go bonkers. Seen it many many times. Those are the people that should be tested. It's intersting to learn about some of the health standards truckers have to live up to.

[chunkyfrog]

The genie is out of the bottle.
The main highways will be packed with robotic trucks.
Non-professionals will be forced to ride buses or use rat runs.