Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/31373
Medically Certified While federal regs to cover training and registration of doctors performing physicals approach, carriers and some states are taking the lead to address specific medical conditions such as sleep apnea n terms of the basics of driver medical certifica- tion, says Dr. Ronald Rush of Highway Health Care in Texarkana, Texas, “I really have not seen a lot of activity in the last few years to suggest that drivers are having a lot of problems with cer- tification. The basic exam and qualifications are stable and we have not had to change much of anything.” I Diabetes and blood pressure rules remain stable — get a BP reading over 140/90 and you will get a one-time three-month certification to get it under control. If you’re an insulin-treated diabetic you must go through the rigorous Diabetes Exemption Program process to get certified. “The exception,” Rush adds, “does seem to be in 16 TRUCKERS NEWS JUNE 2011 TODD DILLS the area of sleep medicine.” As the science behind diagnosis of sleep apnea has become more well developed over the last two decades, the attention to sleep disorders’ affect on fatigue and thus driver safety has increased. While the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says it does not plan to insti- tute mandatory screening criteria for sleep apnea as a part of the Department of Transportation examina- tion requirements, many carriers require it of driv- ers with various risk factors. “Many are being told by their companies that apnea testing is coming or their companies are instituting screening and testing pro- grams,” says Rush, adding that most individual com- panies his facility works with “have some type of screen and only ask some [drivers] to be tested.” MAX HEINE