transport-sleep-apnea-scam

Cover your butt--good plan.
The fathead, wannabe pimp ought to get suspended.

He is on "vacation" this week ... But, in the future I will record EVERY telephone call too! I can't do it it while talking on the phone, and record on my iPhone that I can figure out, but I can use my net book to record the conversation on speaker phone! I figure if he really was being disapplined ... He would have been gone Tue last week!

I don't trust this guy now ... I just was switched over to him two weeks ago, as my other dispatcher I had for the previous 8 months got promoted in the office ... Don't know why he is trying to get rid of me, but he learned I'm not a push over, and actually was nice to me the rest of last week!

It is amazing what stuff is considered "hot freight" ... Get it there in a hurry type stuff ... The most rediculuse that comes to mind is a place near Phoenix that rebuild/refurbished pallets called Chep, they are painted blue ... That load picked up at 21:00 (9pm) and MUST BE DELIVERED by 07:00 the next morning in San Deigo, CA. No place to really park, sometimes there is a spot on the street which you can see the international fence ... Not a good neighborhood!

When you pull into there yard there literally 1,000's of these pallets stacked up! This is a produce company that used these pallets to ship stuff on ...

Why the rush ... Why do I need to miss a nights sleep for some empty pallets?

We haul a lot of FedEx "air freight" ... We have trailer specially set up with rollers to take the large 8'X8'X8' aluminum containers that fit into the air plane to other terminal, we pick them up at LAX airport...

Smiths Foods will preload one (lots actually) of our trailers by 02:00 ... It is just sitting there in the yard, but ... We can't get it until after 14:00 (2 PM) and it has to be delivered in Las Vegas 5.5 hours away between 18:00 - 20:00 (8pm) doesn't give much time for a potty stop!

Kmart/Sears will release your load between 22:00 and 01:00 the following morning, even though you were there at your aptt of 21:00 and they want it delivered by 06:00 in Tucson,AZ 8 hours away, and you are not allowed to stop anywhere along the way! I do ... I gotta pee!

Conway freight will release a trailer and give you 4 hours to drive 270 miles ... Our trucks are governed at 64 mph, and we go slower up hills!

Sam's club will give us plenty of time to get to the store, but they only recieve our trucks from the Distrubution Center from 21:00 - 04:00 ... It is an apt already set up by Sam's in advance ...so I may arrive there at 19:00 (7pm) but have to wait (or wake up) at 00:45 to sign in, and it takes them 1-2 hours to unload, then I can go back to sleep ... Hopefully! If I "log it like it is" as the safety dept wants us too ... Then we still have not had our 10 hr break, and it starts when they are done unloading, and we miss out on another "day run" or have to wait till the next day for a load ... With no pay! Dispatch wants us to log our 15 minute unload when we first get there, so by morning we have had a full 10+ hour break showing on our log book ... and we can run again!

There is ALWAYS conflict between dispatch and safety, dispatch and the repair shop!

We have repair shops at each terminal with 6-8 bays staffed with not only certified mechanics, but two International (brand of truck we run) dealer mechanics who work on site for us, plus one Cummins tech (brand of engine) if we are tight on a load ... They will sent us to a truck stop to get what we found wrong, as they are scared that one of our mechanics will find something wrong with the truck and red tag it (put it out of service) they would rather I make my delivery on time!

Our little company hires over 50 drivers per WEEK, we have aproximately 3,000 drivers ... We are not growing ... Heartland Express is considered one of the "good" over the road (otr) companies to work for, and we only hire experienced drivers with good driving records ... But we still have a horrendous turn over rate ... Is it surprising?

I'm waiting for new tires now at the terminal ... They "need" me to drop my load at Pepsi ASAP and grab another trailer there at Pepsi and run it up to Las Vegas ... ASAP... I've been up since 05:00 ... About 6 hours of driving once I get out of the shop ...

123.Shawn T.W. wrote:
I'm waiting for new tires now at the terminal ... They "need" me to drop my load at Pepsi ASAP and grab another trailer there at Pepsi and run it up to Las Vegas ... ASAP... I've been up since 05:00 ... About 6 hours of driving once I get out of the shop ...

Keep Safe, Prayers, & Keep the Shinny Side UP.

123.Shawn T.W. wrote:But, in the future I will record EVERY telephone call too!

Careful.

Many states have very strict laws against surreptitious recording of telephone conversations.
The penalties can be surprisingly harsh.

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.

2) Who is paying for the sleep study?

Appears to me to be the company itself paying for everything.

By standard, I mean what standards are they using to screen new employees for sleep apnea. Since most applicants would have their licenses and DOT medical clearance, are they basing the requirements for a sleep study on what then. A pre-employment physical? A questionnaire at orientation? What?

The reason I ask this is that as we all know, sleep apnea is not limited to just obese people. And again as we all know that people will deny that they have SA. So if they are singling out just the obese or even overweight people, their program is meaningless.

What scares me is that there us no apparent doctor involvement in the process and no way to appeal anything if there is a problem.

I am all for the spirit of what they are doing but not how they are doing it.

When I went for my pre-employment physical for Roehl ... They took my weight, height, and neck measurement ... Asked me questions like "Do you have trouble staying awake in the day?" And "Do you snore?"

chunkyfrog wrote:I'm just relieved that the big whiner is off the road!

What makes you think he is off the road? He's not working for that company, but I am willing to bet he had no trouble finding someone else to pay him to drive.

Is there a list of companies with "relaxed" standards, who would do this?
While driving, we could give their rigs a bit of extra space, just in case a "zombie" is operating.
I am not planning to drive any busy truck routes at night or when the scales are closed.

chunkyfrog wrote:Is there a list of companies with "relaxed" standards, who would do this?
While driving, we could give their rigs a bit of extra space, just in case a "zombie" is operating.
I am not planning to drive any busy truck routes at night or when the scales are closed.

Yes, we need a "zombie on board" sign for these rigs (and flashing lights and loud auditory warning ... etc...).

We also need all of this for those undiagnosed with OSA and those under treated with OSA. All 20,000,000 or so of them!!!!

Drive safe (if you can)

Chunky,

You could search for "CSA 2010" stands for Compliance, Safety, Accountability ... And the year it began ... Basically a safety report card, for both drivers and companies ... Not sure if just anybody can access it ... I gotta get driving!

Yes, thank you, Shawn; and be safe.
I was just rear-ended about 4 hours ago; small car, no injury, bumper damage,
hubby's already got an estimate from our neighborhood shop. (nice to have a handy man)
I suspect she was on the phone, as she couldn't stop making calls while we waiting for the gendarme.
Maybe vehicles need to have warning lights that flash when the phone is on.

Hello,

I am the person who you are all talking about on this posting issue about my comments of this being a scam. Here is what I have to say about it:

First, I've been a driver for 8 years, mostly OTR and have a perfect safety record. Second, I really enjoyed working for Marten Transport up until the time that they had me take the forced sleep study and subsequent treatment. I am not a whiner, and have always stood up for driver's rights, which is something we don't check at the door just because we go to work for someone.

When I had my orientation DOT medical exam, performed by a physician's assistant, not a M.D., that the company went through, I was incorrectly told my neck size was 18 inches, which meant I had to take the forced sleep study, however, this wasn't brought up to me until well after a month that I had been driving for them, loving the company. I told them I didn't choose to participate in their program, at which point they told me it was mandatory or I would be terminated. I advised them there was NO regulation in place that made forced testing mandatory, only PROPOSSED regulations with FMCSA (which we doubt will pass) regarding the 17 inch or greater for men and 15 inch or greater neck size for women. This doesn't address any person with severe sleep apnea UNDER those sizes, and is discriminatory with NO legal backing at this time.

I took the forced study, vs. getting fired. The sales rep for the sleep study told me I had slight-moderate apnea and would HAVE to use a machine. I objected and said I would undergo treatment if it was needed, under a doctor's care and prescription, and would more than likely opt for a different form of treatment. They told me I had no choice and would have to use their MONITORED machine (via a device similar to an ankle bracelet for house arrest) or I would be terminated. I researched on the net and found several places, including the MAYO CLINIC, that had very strong concerns about side effects and health risks (none of which were ever told to me by a doctor, which is required by law). To keep my job, I took the machine, under duress, and told them they would have to supply a medical professional to show me how to safely use the machine, set the correct air pressure for ME, and answer my questions. They sent me from Oregon to Georgia, where they had a MEDICAL ASSISTANT to show me. The first night of use, I used it for an hour getting used to it. The next night, no use as I needed sleep for early am delivery (we could have 25% non use and be in compliance. The next night, 3.6 hours of use, all while awake. No, I wasn't trying to cheat the system, I just wasn't comfortable sleeping with it as it HAD serious complaints from medical professionals. It's a machine, it can have a glitch. Didn't want to die in sleep or develop severe health issues due to it. MANY drivers at the company I spoke to about it complained of nose bleeds, insomnia, headaches...and would use the 4 monitored hours awake, then take the mask off and get some rest. However, that reduces a driver's sleep by 1/2 on the 10 hour down time, with driving up to 11 hours the next day. TOO dangerous with sleep deprivation.

Here is the real scam. After being terminated for not complying with their illegal program, I went to a REAL doctor, got measured and tested and low and behold...my neck size is ONLY 16 1/2, not 18 like Marten's "doctor" claimed. The program needs to be VOLUNTARY for those who want it, NOT forced and mandatory. We need sleep, not sleep deprivation being on the highways with you and your loved ones. No, I'm not a jerk, moron or anything else you guys have thrown at me, I'm just a driver supporting his family and trying to do so safely when I'm driving that 80,000 lb missile next to your family.

But do you have apnea?
If so, and you are not treated, could you please post where you will be driving,
so we and our loved ones can stay out of your way?

Trudger wrote: The sales rep for the sleep study told me I had slight-moderate apnea and would HAVE to use a machine.

You should tell him you are going to have him prosecuted by the state medical board for practicing medicine without a license.

chunkyfrog wrote:But do you have apnea?
If so, and you are not treated, could you please post where you will be driving,
so we and our loved ones can stay out of your way?

Every road you drive on has many drivers, truck or otherwise, who have untreated sleep apnea. I believe the failure rate for CPAP is about 50% and there are many more undiagnosed.

Trudger,

No matter what your neck size you were shown to have Sleep Apnea. This factor alone makes you a safety risk according to the DOT. Don't be surprised if it shows up on your DAC Report.
It also means your family at some point could loose their support. My wife lost her 1st husband who was non-compliant with CPAP for minor sleep apnea.