Doctors Recommend Testing Truck Drivers for Sleep Apnea

By Alison Gonzalez

Published on April 14, 2008

Medical experts have suggested to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) that commercial driver's license (CDL) holders who are obese or have a body mass index higher than 30 be routinely tested for obstructive sleep apnea.

Further, those who have sleep apnea must be treated in order to receive their CDL certification.

The recommendations, aimed at improving highway safety, come after studies found truckers have a 20 to 30 percent incidence rate for sleep apnea, higher than for people over age 40.

Sleep apnea causes individuals to wake up frequently during the night, resulting in lost sleep time. For fatigued truck drivers, the effects can be hazardous.

According to Allan Pack of the Center for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania, drivers with sleep apnea are 2 ½ times more likely to be involved in a severe crash.

One of the major contributors to sleep apnea is obesity.

Some truckers say the testing recommendation is unfair because it singles out truckers from the rest of the drivers on the road.

The FMCSA currently does not have a timetable for considering the new recommendations. It could take up to a year for the regulations to be implemented if approved by all federal agencies.

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