Last year, a Texas couple was driving on Interstate 30 when they were suddenly slammed into from behind by an 18-wheeler when the truck driver fell asleep. The husband did not survive the massive truck accident, and upon learning that the driver of the truck had recently been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, the widow took action. She began to lobby for truck drivers to be tested for sleep apnea, and taken off the road if they are found to have the disorder.

Recently, two government advisory panels released a proposal which, if adopted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), would require all obese commercial truck drivers to be tested for sleep apnea. If they test positive for the disorder, the drivers would face consequences such as required evaluation or treatment or, in extreme cases, disqualification.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that is common among people with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher. It causes shallow breathing or pauses in breath while sleeping, which, in turn, disrupts sleep. This often results in added fatigue during the day. Because commercial truck drivers often operate on less than a safe amount of sleep as it is, the additional burden of sleep apnea can significantly increase the risk of truck accidents caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel.

To minimize this risk, the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee and the Medical Review Board recently released a proposal that would require truck drivers with a BMI of 35 or greater to be tested for sleep apnea. Now, it is up to the FMCSA to decide whether to make the proposal into a law.

Source: The Huffington Post, "Sleep Apnea In Truck Drivers: Advisory Panels Recommend Screening For Condition In Obese Drivers," Amanda L. Chan, Dec. 19, 2011