Apnea Test Being Pushed On Truck Drivers?
U.S. representatives are calling out medical trainers for giving apnea test to truck drivers. A handful of U.S. lawmakers recently sent a letter to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator on October 2nd stating that very fact. Some medical examiners are not abiding by law since they are telling truck drivers to take an apnea test.
The law is very straight forward and reads as follows. “There is to be no mandate or guidance for apnea testing without going through the formal rulemaking and public comment process.” From what we’ve read and learned, this is no just an isolated incident.
In the letter sent to FMCSA, two U.S. representatives point to the HR3095 bill. This bill was signed and passed in October of 2013. HR3095 states that implementing or enforcing a requirement providing for the screening, testing or treatment of individuals operating commercial motor vehicles for sleep disorders only if the requirement is adopted pursuant to the rulemaking proceeding. Therefore, this bill prohibits FMCSA from doing so.
U.S. Reps. Larry Bucshon, R-Ind. and Dan Lipinski, D-Ill. were the two lawmakers that sent a letter to FMCSA. Bucshon and Lipinski also pointed out that some of the medical training groups have associations to sleep labs. While continued safety for truck drivers is important, you can’t make the industry safer by breaking the law.
The lawmakers also report that a company called REM Sleep Labs out of Southern California provides “DOT Guidelines for sleep apnea” and also instructs medical examiners to order sleep tests based on a specific criteria, one including “family history of sleep apnea.”
The news is making its rounds in the trucking industry. FMCSA has insisted that they are following the rules from the HR3095 bill. We’ll keep you updated as the story continues.
