sleep apnea
FMCSA Advised to Give Drivers 90 Days to Replace Recalled CPAP Devices
Smederevac — Getty Images
A medical advisory board to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has recommended that medical examiners be permitted to offer truck drivers alternative treatment options to sleep apnea machines that are subject to a massive recall.
September 30, 2021FMCSA Medical Board to Review Recalled CPAP Machines
kaipong/Getty Images
Members of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s medical review board are due to address uncertainties connected to a voluntary recall of some continuous positive air pressure machines, warning that truck drivers using them face potential health risks.
September 16, 2021FMCSA Responds to Medical Board on Sleep Apnea Guidance
A patient in a sleep apnea study. (pastorscott/Getty Images)
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is expanding access to information about obstructive sleep apnea for medical professionals who conduct medical examinations for truck drivers.
June 10, 2021Nearly 49% of CMV Drivers Could Be at Risk for Sleep Apnea, Study Says
A man wears a C-Pap machine. (no_limit_pictures/Getty Images)
A new obstructive sleep apnea study of 20,000 drivers using a more comprehensive screening evaluation method estimated that nearly 49% of commercial motor vehicle drivers could be at risk for obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that can cause sleepiness while driving.
January 12, 2021Driver’s Untreated Sleep Apnea Contributed to 2018 Fatal Crash, NTSB Says
CPAP machine by cherrybeans/Getty Images
A National Transportation Safety Board investigation concluded that lack of a “robust medical certification evaluation process” on the federal level to identify and treat commercial drivers at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea was one of three safety issues that contributed to a fatal, multivehicle heavy truck-involved crash in 2018.
July 9, 2020Sen. Blumenthal Blasts Withdrawal of Sleep Apnea Policy
Blumenthal by Zach Gibson/Bloomberg
The determination by federal investigators that two high-profile train collisions in New York and New Jersey were the result of undiagnosed sleep apnea prompted a member of the Senate Commerce Committee to rebuke the Trump administration’s withdrawal of a potential new policy on the sleep disorder.
February 7, 2018Inaction on Sleep Apnea Draws Ire of NTSB
Rachel Tayse/Flickr
Just months after U.S. rail and highway regulators said they were withdrawing plans to screen truckers and engineers for a dangerous sleep disorder, accident investigators believe that it contributed to two New York-area transit crashes.
February 6, 2018Opinion: Debunking Common Myths About Sleep Apnea
As the National Transportation Safety Board cites sleep apnea as a factor in New York City-area train crashes, the need for sleep apnea testing and treatment regulations will once again come to the forefront. The NTSB has been advocating for measures to reduce fatigue-related accidents in the transportation industry for years.
October 2, 2017Senators Debut Bill Mandating Sleep Apnea Testing
A man with obstructive sleep apnea uses a CPAP machine. (Thinkstock)
U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Cory Booker have announced new legislation that would require the U.S. Department of Transportation to test train operators and commercial bus and truck drivers for obstructive sleep apnea.
September 29, 2017Editorial: Rules to Live By
Without rules for everyone to follow, the world would become a chaotic place. But uncertainty about which rules one must follow can itself create chaos.
August 24, 2017