Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/53821
million. The driver who crashed had been diagnosed with the condition yet remained untreated for it. Owner-operators have many of sleep apnea's risk factors, which include being male, overweight and older than 50. Nearly 30 percent of truckers are obese, and many of them also are at risk for or have cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes. all of which are exacerbated by sleep apnea makes worse and can impede driver certification. Drivers often are reluctant to be tested for sleep apnea. They fear a carrier won't hire them, that they will be taken out of service or that treatment will be too time-consuming and costly. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association questions what may be "unneeded expenses," making it "harder for drivers with the condition to have the freedom of choice of employers," says OOIDA spokeswoman Norita Taylor. She notes anyone with symptoms of the disorder should seek medical advice. Drivers with moderate to severe sleep apnea that interferes with safe driving can be disqualified if a state- licensed medical examiner decides they should not drive. While medicines cannot treat the disorder, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines keep users' airways open during sleep with use of a face mask. Examiner trainers urge truck- ers to be aware of their basic health conditions, especially knowing your blood pressure, such as Jackson, Miss.-based trucker Fred McGee, prepares to find out at Workforce Testing in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Registry will raise the standard on medical exams Even apart from expected tighter standards regarding sleep apnea, the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners could curtail the driving force. This would happen both by requiring tougher nationwide minimum standards for medical exams and by screening out medical professionals who now take a lax approach in approving medical certificates. Announcement of a final medical examiner. Chiropractor Clinton rule creating the registry is expected soon. Carriers with 50 drivers or more will be required to use certified medical examiners two years after the final rule becomes effective. All other drivers and carriers will have three years. "It will set the bar a little higher in terms of medical examiners," says Anne-Marie Puricelli, a veteran CDL Smith, president of NRCME Training Systems in Breese, Ill., concurs. "It's going to corral all the examiners and truckers," Smith says. "There are too many loopholes," he says of current procedures for selecting examiners. He points out that dangerous drug and alcohol levels too often go unreported. "There will be more accountability." Chiropractic physicians, medical and osteopathic doctors, advanced nurse practitioners and physician assistants may still become certified medical examiners, according to the docket for the final rule. An examiner will have to take eight hours of training and be tested on it to become certified. Retraining would be required every three to five years. Every month examiners will report DOT medical exam results to FMCSA. Carriers will be required to verify drivers' health certificates that are signed by an examiner in the registry. For more information on the system, visit nrcme. fmcsa.dot.gov/about.aspx. Drivers who live in rural regions initially might have difficulty finding certified examiners close by. "But by implementing the registry slowly, the hope is that enough examiners will sign up," Smith says. Currently about 200,000 examiners conduct tests, he says. That number is expected to drop due to the time and cost of becoming certified, but longtime observers say that 40,000 examiners will suffice for the program to function. Truckers, especially in rural areas, also can expect to pay $100 to $120 for the exam, which often costs $60 to $75 now. "Just based on supply and demand, the assumption is that for truckers in areas where there is no competition and until the examiners pool builds up, there may be some initial higher costs," Smith says. The National Registry also will input drivers' exam results into the national driver database, as part of the system that merges driver medical records with CDL records, which began in January. "This whole thing is dovetailing, implemented in stages, to have one large driver database," Smith explains. For a listing by state of medical examiners who paid to be included in an online directory, go to teamcme.com. 26 OVERDRIVE FEBRUARY 2012 The apnea hurdle Max Heine