FMCSA Revokes Updates to Sleep Apnea Screening Regulations

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) revoked a new ruling today that would have improved sleep apnea screen requirements for truck drivers. The new regulation would have given criteria of what would cue a driver to be referred to for an in-lab apnea test. The current regulations have created confusion because of unjustified referrals of drivers. These policies currently rely on sets of screening protocols for the determination of test referrals. The goal of the new regulation was to help clarify the screening so that unwarranted referrals could be avoided. The FMCSA worked on updating the sleep apnea regulations during 2016. The agency held sessions across the nation to discuss the regulations updates, however they did not raise enough information to change the law. This past Friday the FMCSA released a publication stating that the current regulations are satisfactory for the screening of apnea. Yet many drivers are not content because of the lack of clarity for referrals of sleep apnea tests. To read the article from TruckerNews click here.