FMCSA Announces Meetings on Obstructive Sleep Apnea Recommendations
Published on October 20, 2016 The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announces a joint meeting of its Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) and Medical Review Board (MRB) on Oct 24, 2016. According to regulations.gov, the MRB will report on its revised recommendations on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) based on its evaluation of the comments from the joint Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) that the FMCSA issued with the Federal Railroad Administration. Additionally, the MCSAC will discuss how the implementation of these recommendations may impact current and future populations of drivers. On Oct 25, the MCSAC will meet …
Required sleep apnea tests for truckers does not violate the ADA – 8th Circuit
By Brendan Pierson A federal appeals court has rejected a lawsuit by a truck driver claiming trucking company Crete Carrier Corp discriminated against him by requiring him to be tested for sleep apnea because of his weight and firing him when he refused. The ruling, handed down Wednesday by a unanimous three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, found that the Nebraska-based company’s policy was justified by “obvious safety concerns.” …
Here Are Tech’s Big Ideas For Ending Drowsy Driving
Tech is only part of the solution, even as innovations plow ahead. Joseph Erbentraut Senior What’s Working Editor, The Huffington Post Posted: 10/06/2015 12:58 PM EDT | Edited: 10/06/2015 08:15 PM EDT Never before have there been more technologies available or in the works to help drivers stay alert while behind the wheel. For years, automakers like Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, Nissan and Ford have implemented technology addressing drowsy driving, such as pre-collision systems and lane-departure warning systems, in some of their upscale vehicles. Some automakers aren’t stopping there. According to PC Magazine, Volvo is expanding on its Driver Alert Control …
Could Sleep Apnea Testing Reduce Major Transportation Accidents?
NTSB says the condition is a problem for truckers and train operators, but other officials aren’t so convinced. 08:09 | 06/27/2014 Accidents Due to Sleep Apnea …
Asleep at the Wheel: Could Mandating Sleep Apnea Tests for Transportation Operators Reduce Accidents?
Jun 27, 2014, 7:16 PM ET By GIO BENITEZ, GEOFF MARTZ, GERRY WAGSCHAL, STEPHANIE WASH and CONOR FERGUSON GIO BENITEZMore From Gio » GIO BENITEZMore From Gio » Correspondent STEPHANIE WASHMore From Stephanie » Associate Producer via NIGHTLINE Cars from a Metro-North passenger train are scattered after the train derailed in the Bronx neighborhood of New York, Dec. 1, 2013. Edwin Valero/AP Photo http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/sleep-apnea-testing-reduce-major-transportation-accidents-24346235 Every day millions of passengers put their lives in the hands of train conductors, bus drivers and the truck drivers who share the road with them. All of these jobs require long, monotonous hours with few breaks in between, which …
Sen. Charles Schumer Targets Sleep-Deprived Truckers After Tracy Morgan Crash
Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock We need safer highways. ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) — In the wake of an accident on the New Jersey Turnpike that injured actor and comedian Tracy Morgan, Sen. Charles Schumer is launching a plan to keep tired truck drivers off the road. On Sunday, the New York Democrat called on the U.S. Department of Transportation to speed up a requirement that companies and drivers use electronic logging devices to accurately log hours driven. He says most truck drivers currently log their hours manually. “Each year, thousands of people are hurt and even killed in truck crashes due to overworked …
FAA CONTROLLERS WORKING EXHAUSTING SCHEDULES
Notes from Dr. Norman BlumenstockAre fatigued air traffic controllers putting air travelers at risk? What are your thoughts? BY JOAN LOWY ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — Air traffic controllers are at greater risk for fatigue, errors and accidents because they work schedules known as “rattlers” that make it likely they’ll get little or no sleep before overnight shifts, according to a government-sponsored report. Three years after a series of incidents in which controllers were found to be sleeping on the job, a National Research Council report released Friday expressed astonishment that the Federal Aviation Administration still permits controllers to work schedules that …
Driver Charged in Crash Involving Tracy Morgan Had Not Slept in 24 Hours, Prosecutors Say
By J. DAVID GOODMANJUNE 9, 2014The Walmart driver whose truck collided with a van carrying the comedian Tracy Morgan and other performers had not slept for more than 24 hours before the crash, New Jersey prosecutors said on Monday.Prosecutors in Middlesex County charged the truck driver, Kevin Roper, 35, of Jonesboro, Ga., on Saturday with one count of death by auto and several counts of assault by auto in connection with the pileup early that day on the northbound New Jersey Turnpike in Cranbury Township, about 45 miles from New York City. One comedian, James McNair, known as Jimmy Mack, was …
Walmart Driver Kevin Roper Pleads Not Guilty in Tracy Morgan Crash
A Walmart truck driver pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of vehicular homicide and assault in connection with the New Jersey highway crash that left comedian Tracy Morgan in critical condition. Kevin Roper, 35, did not speak during the arraignment in Middlesex County before he was released on $50,000 bail he posted after his arrest. In a criminal complaint, Roper was accused of operating his big rig “recklessly” after not sleeping for more than 24 hours, causing the early Friday pileup on the New Jersey Turnpike. His truck slammed into a limo bus carrying Morgan and his entourage, police …
Metro-North to Require Sleep Apnea Evaluation.
Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock Train engineers need to be test now on the Metro North trains. http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/northern_suburbs&id=9512820# Eyewitness News NEW YORK (WABC) — A new Metro-North directive would require the 350 engineers who work for the railway to be evaluated in the coming months for sleep apnea. Earlier this month, the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that the engineer, William Rockefeller suffered from a severe form of sleep apnea in a derailment late last year. The incident left four people dead and dozens injured. Mike Doyle, general chairman of the Officials with the Association of Commuter Rail Employees union, told …
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