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How Big a Problem is Sleep Apnea in Trucking?

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DOT seeks feedback from CDL truck drivers on sleep apnea regulationsMuch has been made of sleep apnea in trucking and the accidents that have resulted when drivers have fallen asleep at the wheel.

So how big of a problem is sleep apnea in trucking, really? With federal regulators considering mandatory sleep apnea requirements right now, we must ask the questions below.

Is sleep apnea among truck drivers as big an issue as it’s made out to be? Or is it being blown out of proportion by media coverage?

The Huffington Post recently took on the issue in an incendiary article written by Michael McAuliffe, the blog’s congressional reporter. In the story, McAuliffe puts the blame squarely on the shoulders of Congress and the trucking lobby. Serious accidents involving truck drivers are the upshot of a “broader trend,” McAuliffe writes.

“It is part of a broader trend of declining safety on the roads after decades of progress. A trend that the United States Congress aided and abetted. They loosened safety rules even as both truck drivers and trucks push to their limits.”

The debate over this issue heightened as sleep apnea received more attention.

The latest round of congressional wrangling started with a fight over snoring, or, more specifically, the obstructive sleep apnea that causes it, McAuliffe writes… The airways of people who suffer from apnea close repeatedly while they sleep, interrupting their breathing dozens of times an hour. They often don’t notice the interruptions, but it leaves them exhausted and prone to doze off during the day.

The Huffington Post story also says the risk of sleep apnea rises dramatically with weight gain, and that research links sleep deprivation to heightened crash risks.

Opinions on sleep apnea among truck drivers differ depending on on the driver. However, one thing is certain. The debate over this issue rages for a long time to come.

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DOT Seeking Sleep Apnea Input from CDL Permit Holders

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DOT seeks feedback from CDL truck drivers on sleep apnea regulationsPeople with CDL trucking jobs already lament the federal regulations they must abide by in today’s world. Now, yet another regulation looms in the balance for truck drivers. If you are a CDL permit holder, now’s your time to speak up on the issue of sleep apnea.

On March 8, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration jointly announced that they are seeking public comment during the next 90 days on the impacts of screening, evaluating, and treating CMV drivers and rail workers for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Writer David Cullen wrote about the issue in Heavy Duty Trucking.

Ramifications from public comments remain undetermined

But, the two federal agencies host three public listening sessions to gather input on obstructive sleep apnea. They collect from CDL permit holders and others in the transportation industry. The sessions occur in Washington, D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles.

“The agencies said their Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, a.k.a. a “pre-rule,” serves as “the first step” in considering whether to propose specific requirements around OSA,” Cullen’s article states.

The pre-rule, titled “Evaluation of Safety Sensitive Personnel for OSA,” specifically seeks “data and information concerning the prevalence of moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea among individuals occupying safety sensitive positions in rail and highway transportation.”

The agencies request information about the possible financial impact and safety benefits associated with “regulatory actions”

Transportation workers showing more than one risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea face evaluation by a sleep disorder specialist. They then receive treatment.

The current pre-rule activity aligns with legislation passed by Congress in 2013 that instructs FMCSA on the regulatory approach it must take regarding OSA.

That law does not require the agency to issue any sleep-apnea policy or regulation. Rather, the bill states that no policy can be issued without the agency first conducting a thorough analysis of the prevalence of OSA among commercial drivers; the range of possible actions to address the problem; and the costs and benefits that may result.

Sleep apnea is a common condition causing a person’s breathing to pause during sleep.

As Cullen states in his article, the pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes and occur more than 30 times an hour. Ultimately, sleep apnea results in poor sleep quality and fatigue.

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