Sleep Apnea And Sleeping Pills?
Topic 18188 | Page 1
The doctor to discuss your sleeping pills with is a DOT certified Dr. If your doc is not on the DOT exam database, he's not the guy to talk to.
Here's a link to the Trucking Truth Wiki page for the DOT Physical Exam
Here are some things in the page you should look for:
- FMCSA’s National Registry for Doctors
- everything that goes on for the DOT physical
- Medications that may disqualify you
There also a page for Sleep Apnea , Truck Drivers, & BMI Calculator
CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
FMCSA:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000. Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.
What Does The FMCSA Do?
- Commercial Drivers' Licenses
- Data and Analysis
- Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
- Research and Technology
- Safety Assistance
- Support and Information Sharing
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
BMI:
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:
- Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
- Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit
It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.
Fm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
Thank you. So how does it work out if you have to do a sleep study? Do you have to pay for the study or does the company pay for it and have to pay them back?
Thank you. So how does it work out if you have to do a sleep study? Do you have to pay for the study or does the company pay for it and have to pay them back?
At my company they did not have you take the study until you passed the CDL exam. Then they gave you the test. If you need a machine they sell you one with a modem that updates your usage to them.
It was paid by company and paid back weekly
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Thanks I have my cdl and a medical card for a year but I do have a hard time falling a sleep that and saying a sleep. I do take sleeping pills from time to time.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Thanks I have my cdl and a medical card for a year but I do have a hard time falling a sleep that and saying a sleep. I do take sleeping pills from time to time.
You will NOT be taking sleeping pills with a company. Which pills - if I may be so bold?
99.9% are forbidden for use while employed by most companies. If they are ones that are looked for on drug screens (Xanax, etc.) you will be assured a fail - if not on a DOT urine screen, on a hair follicle pre-employment screen.
Melatonin is the only sleep aid most companies will allow.
OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) is when your breathing stops while you are asleep - due to "obstructions" caused by obesity (which is why they look at overweight people) or some other "physical defect" that causes the breathing passes to close up while laying down. If you don't know you have it - you wouldn't put it down on a DOT Long Form (questionnaire), and most examiners that aren't working for a company, will typically breeze right by it, and issue a 2 year card (as long as you don't have other issues that would preclude passing).
Sleeping pills really don't help with OSA - you stop breathing and your brain kicks out of REM sleep to kick start your breathing. In severe cases, your brain never gets into REM sleep - so sufferers never actually get any "brain rest" (restful sleep), even if they aren't actually aware of waking up many times during the night - because they never actually wake to a "fully aware state" (though some folks will actually wake up feeling like they are choking or suffocating).
OS is real - and dangerous for folks that ignore the symptoms, and don't seek treatment. And folks that aren't morbidly obese can suffer from it also. Really loud snoring is also a symptom.
The issue with OSA and trucking - if you're not getting "restful sleep" - it means you are constantly tired, to the point of exhaustion ALL THE TIME in severe cases. Which means you are driving 80,000 lbs of rolling death, 1/2 asleep.
One of my oldest/closest friends had it SO BAD - he went into the hospital with breathing issues thinking he had pneumonia. They had him overnight, on a monitor, and found his heart was stopping multiple times during the night - from OSA. They put in a pacemaker, and now he's on a CPAP machine.
If you suspect you have it - it's not something to ignore. If you have the opportunity to get screened for it BEFORE you go into orientation - all the better. You can try and get a solid diagnosis, and begin treatment (make sure you get a machine that is "trucking industry compliant", and use it for the required amount of time - so this can be logged before you show up for a physical).
The reason why it's good to get a 3rd party diagnosis - is that the feeling has been over the last number of years - that companies use OSA testing and the sales of machines - as a "profit center". They will front you the money for the machine and testing, and allow you to pay it back "interest free". But a lot of people think it's being "over-diagnosed" as a way to make $$ on expensive tests and machines.
Which is not to say OSA isn't a serious issue if you have it. And folks that are correctly diagnosed and use the CPAP correctly, report much better health and energy levels - and feel rested, instead of constantly tired.
FMCSA has been trying to make OSA testing based on BMI & Neck Diameter a REGULATION for nearly a decade now - and haven't gotten it through. Many folks think the BMI/Neck thing is "voodoo medicine", since there are as many OSA sufferers that DO NOT fall into those screening guidelines - as there are that do. Making expensive testing MANDATORY BY REGULATION - is seen as overburdensome to everyone (even if it does diagnose a number of people) - so they haven't been able to push the rule through yet (not for lack of trying). They have even gone so far as having a BMI/Neck Diameter spot on the original release of the '16 DOT Med Long Form (top of page 2) which they subsequently removed on the form the released (nice try there FMSCA).
Rick
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
FMCSA:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000. Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.
What Does The FMCSA Do?
- Commercial Drivers' Licenses
- Data and Analysis
- Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
- Research and Technology
- Safety Assistance
- Support and Information Sharing
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
BMI:
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:
- Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
- Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit
It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.
CPAP:
Constant Positive Airway Pressure
CPAP is a breathing assist device which is worn over the mouth or nose. It provides nighttime relief for individuals who suffer from Sleep Apnea.
Fm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Thank you rick s for your post it help me so much. It sounds like I can't work for a company that does the hair follicle drug test. I am thinking about getting doing the sleep study when I do go a Company because I have to think about others on the road not just myself and it is only money. I don't want to put lives in jeopardy if I do have sleep apnea and don't know it.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
Thank you rick s for your post it help me so much. It sounds like I can't work for a company that does the hair follicle drug test. I am thinking about getting doing the sleep study when I do go a Company because I have to think about others on the road not just myself and it is only money. I don't want to put lives in jeopardy if I do have sleep apnea and don't know it.
Believe it or not...I had a sleep study done with my insurance years before I went to prime. I paid $1400 after the insurance. Prime charged me $500 which probably has a lot to do with cost of living being so cheap in MO. So you might not be out as much as you think...depending on what insurance you currently have and where you live.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
Thank you rick s for your post it help me so much. It sounds like I can't work for a company that does the hair follicle drug test. I am thinking about getting doing the sleep study when I do go a Company because I have to think about others on the road not just myself and it is only money. I don't want to put lives in jeopardy if I do have sleep apnea and don't know it.
If you have a PRESCRIPTION for the sleep meds - you just need to GET OFF THEM. If you are taking them on a regular basis - you need to GET OFF THEM. Even if you stop so you can pass a urine screen - if you keep taking them, and then get involved in an accident, get subjected to a test and drop hot - your azz will be FRIED.
STOP TAKING THEM - if they are benzo's or pretty much anything else.
A PRIOR PRESCRIPTION will usually get you by a hair test - with a LETTER FROM THE PRESCRIBING PHYSICIAN attesting to why they were prescribed, that they stopped being prescribed and that you are no longer taking them.
Again - if you HAVE OSA - sleep meds don't fix OSA. If you have insomnia for other reasons - you need to look at those.
I get the 10mg "cherry melty" over the counter Walgreens Melatonin. They put me right out pretty good.
If you do have OSA, you may be putting YOUR LIFE in jeopardy - people do DIE FROM IT. Some folks stop breathing, and don't start back up - or, like the friend I described - end up with heart complications too.
Rick
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
At my company they did not have you take the study until you passed the CDL exam. Then they gave you the test. If you need a machine they sell you one with a modem that updates your usage to them.
It was paid by company and paid back weekly
What's the sequence of how they deal with this?
Company physical & med card is always going to come on Day 1. Do they issue a 2 year card - and flag you for a sleep study, after you finish PSD and test out? So you pass your CDL - they do a sleep study, issue you a machine - and send you out for TNT?
I was under the impression, once diagnosed - you had to demonstrate 30 days of compliance, before they let you back OTR?
Rick
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
PSD:
Prime Student Driver
Prime Inc has a CDL training program and the first phase is referred to as PSD. You'll get your permit and then 10,000 miles of on the road instruction.
The following is from Prime's website:
Prime’s PSD begins with you obtaining your CDL permit. Then you’ll go on the road with a certified CDL instructor for no less than 75 hours of one-on-one behind the wheel training. After training, you’ll return to Prime’s corporate headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, for final CDL state testing and your CDL license.
Obtain CDL Permit / 4 Days
- Enter program, study and test for Missouri CDL permit.
- Start driving/training at Prime Training Center in Springfield, Missouri.
- Work toward 40,000 training dispatched miles (minimum) with food allowance while without CDL (Food allowance is paid back with future earnings).
On-the-Road Instruction / 10,000 Miles
- Train with experienced certified CDL instructor for 3-4 weeks in a real world environment.
- Get 75 hours of behind-the-wheel time with one-on-one student/instructor ratio.
- Earn 10,000 miles toward total 40,000 miles needed.
TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.
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Hello, I was told that many companies are testing new drivers for sleep apnea if they are a big guy and would want to know if this is true or not. I am myself a big guy so I would think that a company might have me take a test to check if I have it. I also have a hard time sleeping too and was able to talk to my personal doctor about it. My personal doctor told me that it was ok for me to take sleeping pills at night time but if I tell the DOT doctor that I take them would be that be a bad thing?
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.