According to Overdrive, a data collection effort aimed to gauge how many truck operators have obstructive sleep apnea has moved forward in the federal lawmaking process.
The data request, being conducted in a joint effort by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration, is intended to not only gauge the prevalence of moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea among truck operators, but also to get feedback from the industry about how a sleep apnea rule could affect truckers and the industry at large.
Per the agency’s synopsis of the pre-rule:
“FMCSA… also request[s] information about the potential economic impact and safety benefits associated with regulatory actions that would result in transportation workers in these positions, who exhibit multiple risk factors for OSA, undergoing evaluation by a healthcare professional with expertise in sleep disorders, and subsequent treatment.”
