A proposed requirement for railroads and trucking companies has been withdrawn by the Trump administration. The goal of the above-mentioned proposal is to test truck drivers for sleep apnea. This is a disorder which is considered to be the cause of last year’s fatal train crash at Hoboken Terminal where a New Jersey Transit commuter train plowed through an end-of-track barrier at more than twice the appropriate speed. One man was killed. Thomas Gallagher, the engineer in last year’s crash, was then diagnosed with sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a chronic disorder which worsens the quality of sleep, causing in daytime tiredness and sleepiness. This condition usually remains undiagnosed according to the National Institutes of Health.
On Friday, the Federal Railroad Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in their announcement nixing the proposal said that they would encourage all trucking as well as rail companies to voluntary test their drivers who are engaged in safety-sensitive work.
In a notice published Friday in the Federal Register, it was written: “Sleep apnea can cause unintended sleep episodes and resulting deficits in attention, concentration, situational awareness, and memory, thus reducing the capacity to safely respond to hazards when performing safety sensitive duties.”
So they sleep tested a man who just went through a very traumatic experience and likely was suffering from stress and nightmares from the event and expected him to have a regular sleep pattern? Something tells me they’re desperate to find any reason to push these CPAPS on drivers and operators. Just trying to make a buck is all.
I’m over weight with a large neck,all the criteria of sleep apnea. I don’t have trouble sleeping and get 8 hrs everyday. Every year the Doctor’s ask if I have sleep apnea and I say no. I get a new card every year. Why would I take time off from work and spend my own money for something I don’t need. If the government wants me to have a sleep apnea test let then reimburse me for time lost on the job and cost of test, but on the other hand if a company sees a driver walking around falling a sleep or can’t sit for 10 minutes with out falling a sleep it there obligation to send that driver and pay his experiences.