transport-sleep-apnea-scam

Crazy Eddie wrote:

allen476 wrote:There are a few things that the article didn't mention that might shed light on the whole situation.

1) What was the standard that the company used for requiring the sleep study?

Looks to me like they're trying to reduce truck caused accidents, of which a great many appear to be due to fatigue.

We all want to prevent accidents, Truck caused and 4-wheeler caused. Truck/car accidents are most often caused by cars who do not understand that pulling in front of a 80,000 pound truck and locking the brakes is dangerous. 2,000 lbs stop quicker than 80,000 lbs. 2,000 lbs gets terribly squashed by 80,000 lbs. I guarantee that NOT 1 DRIVER out there wants to hit a car. Many drivers have had to stop driving after a fatal accident.

That being said, it is true that most "trucker at fault" accidents are due to fatigue. Is the fatigue due to the big "SA", or to being forced to pick up a load at 9 pm and deliver 500 miles away at 8 am the next morning.
Or is it due to the fact that most drivers are paid by the number of miles driven, so to make a more money, you only need to drive further. Some drivers break the rules, so to stop that the DOT tightens the rules, the same drivers break the rules, so DOT tightens the rules, ect. ect. ect.

You DO NOT stop people from breaking the rules by making the rules harder to keep, and you don't fix a medical problem experienced by some, by forcing EVERYONE to wear a medical device.

Just a little logic to think about.

No one's forcing anyone to do anything. People do not wear Cpaps voluntarily, involuntarily or on a whim. Doctors prescribe them based on studies done as to whether and to what extent apnea is a factor in individuals and I doubt very much if many doctors prescribe without data showing someone needs Cpap. Of course other factors are involved in trucking and they should absolutely be addressed, but that can be said about other professions too, but it doesn't change the results of scientifically performed sleep studies. I don't think trucking companies can force anyone to use Cpap (or be fired) without definite proof they need it.

Here is my two cents worth:

The link for the OP states that his employer forced him to take a sleep apnea test. After being told that he does, in fact, have sleep apnea, the OP continues with his snarky comments without the least bit of thanks that his employer may have extended years to his life if, a giant if I know, he complies with therapy.

The OP in the link states, "They also "monitor" you for compliance with an AT & T wireless transmitter (kind of like a home monitor ankle bracelet on house arrest.) You are required to keep it plugged in 24/7 and MUST be in compliance for 4 hours each night. Ok, I used the machine while I was awake ( I wouldn't do it sleeping!)."

So, not only did the driver know that he was being monitored by his company for driving time but he also knew that his sleep apnea compliance was being monitored by a wireless transmitter or, in his words "like a home monitor ankle bracelet."

Despite knowing this, the poster states he consciously broke the company rules and chose the route of unethical behavior, "Ok, I used the machine while I was awake ( I wouldn't do it sleeping!)."

If the poster couldn't figure out that his driving time was being monitored electronically and his sleep apnea compliance was being monitored electronically and, by his immoral behavior, the times just happened to overlap and raise red flags, perhaps he is not the brightest bulb in the business. Survival of the fittest at work.

He also complains that he only saw a medical assistant when the company press release states, "FusionSleep’s Sleep4Safety Program is staffed by dedicated board certified sleep medicine physicians, sleep medicine trained nurse practitioners, sleep technologists, respiratory therapists and medical compliance coaches working directly with fleets and their drivers." You can choose which you would care to believe.

The trucking company performed the sleep studies and provided the CPAP machines for FREE.

When I was a child, the Uncle for whom I was named after, was rear ended on the interstate by a semi-truck driver and was killed. I don't want to hear excuses when a trucking company is implementing safety devices.

I hold no remorse for an employee who was given free health diagnostics, free compliance coaches, and free CPAP equipment and still couldn't follow the rules. I hope his poor attitude shows at every job interview he is lucky enough to get.

TheWino

+100 There is no scam.
Just a severe case of denial and total disregard for safety.
If what he claims to have done continues, with the tragic outcomes we know to be inevitable,
may he sit in prison a very long time.

Agree with concerns about the OP and the diagnosis of sleep apnea. However, as Shawn and Larry Billings have pointed out, if you don't address the other safety issues such as not providing opportunities for adequate rest, then essentially dangerous drivers are still on the road in spite of the sleep apnea screenings.

49er

I wish my company would pay 100%!

I would happily pay 100% myself if I could have EVERY night off to 21:00-05:00 ... And the other two hours on either end ... But most of the jobs will not offer that!

I have a few applications out now ... The hard part is I'm almost 48 and have been driving for 21 years ... Hard to find a job in a different field that I can survive on ...

123.Shawn T.W. wrote:I wish my company would pay 100%!

I would happily pay 100% myself if I could have EVERY night off to 21:00-05:00 ... And the other two hours on either end ... But most of the jobs will not offer that!

I have a few applications out now ... The hard part is I'm almost 48 and have been driving for 21 years ... Hard to find a job in a different field that I can survive on ...

Shawn have you thought of going "inside" at one of the trucking companies? My daughter is a broker with a large trucking company in Canada, and she says a lot of their brokers, planners and dispatchers are ex drivers. Might be a thought , same business but more peace of mind.
Good luck
Nan