DANGERS OF TRUCK DRIVERS WITH SLEEP APNEA

Posted on June 12, 2011 by Morgan Adams

The FMCSA and the trucking industry knows how dangerous sleep apnea is for a truck driver. The FMCSA states HERE that: 

Staying awake means staying alive. Sleep apnea is a major contributor to daytime drowsiness—a condition that could prove deadly for commercial truck drivers and everyone sharing the road with them. It is a condition where, during sleep, a narrowing or closure of the upper airway causes repeated sleep disturbances leading to poor sleep quality and excessive daytime sleepiness. Since excessive sleepiness can impact a driver’s ability to safely operate the commercial vehicle, it is important that drivers with sleep apnea are aware of the warning signs.

The research arm of the American Trucking Association (ATA), American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), states that sleep apnea exists in almost 1/3 of commercial driver and contributes to wrecks. See the white paper HERE.

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ROADCHECK SHOWS TRUCK DRIVERS STILL FAKING LOG BOOKS

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Morgan Adams

One of the startling numbers that have been released from the 2010 Roadcheck was that violations for false logs were up over 18% from 2009. I have previously blogged about the problems with false logs and how tired truckers are dangerous truckers who are 2.5 times more likely to be in a wreck. While electric on-board recorders (EOBR's) are a long way from perfect, they will surely be better than the method we have now.

There are multiple other posts on this blog on the topics of fatigue, sleep apnea, and the dangers of tired truckers because so many people are killed each year as a result of these drivers trying to just get in a  few more miles. Drive safe and pull over when tired!

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