Sleep apnea has moved to the front and center of concern for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Strong new standards for sleep apnea driver evaluations may be adopted soon. As the number of truck accident events increase on Pennsylvania highways and around the U.S., the FMCSA is heeding the recommendations of two advisory panels.

A medical and industry panel each recommends that all drivers with a body mass index of 35 or more be evaluated for sleep apnea. If these recommendations are adopted, DOT medical examiners may discover conditions that require immediate disqualification of drivers who fall asleep while driving or having fatigue-related accidents. To maintain fairness, examiners would have the ability to approve 60-day conditional cards during the evaluation and treatment process.

The FMCSA views this guidance as an interim solution, with a longer term comprehensive rule to evolve. The agency's Medical Review Board, with five physicians, and the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee, each proposed similar guidelines. The medical panel has been recommending stronger standards for sleep apnea testing since 2008. Current regulations do not require driver sleep apnea testing or treatment.

Selecting a body mass index of 35 or higher comes from research showing that those with this BMI are susceptible to sleep apnea. The higher the BMI, the stronger the possibility people have this condition. According to a Harvard Medical School professor, drivers with sleep apnea experience a 242 percent greater risk of crashes than those without the condition.

A growing number of carriers have implemented their own evaluation procedures because of the risks. Now in the "comment" stage, if implemented, these regulations could sharply reduce fatigue-related truck accidents.

Source: Truckinginfo, "FMCSA Proposes Guidance for Sleep Apnea," Oliver B. Patton, April 20, 2012