Wow, got some great news this morning for all you Bass fishermen and women out there, there is a new bait about to hit the market that is just awesome. Got the inside scoop from the designer
/manufacturer this morning, keep tuned and I’ll let you know more as the time gets closer to distribution. I will let you know this right now, there will be some exciting drawings associated with this new bait.
Back on subject, truck driver’s health.
In my previous blog I spoke of my experience with diabetes and the hassle I am getting from the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration). In this one I want to talk about the up and coming hassle from the same source.
According to a Tech Brief posted by the FMCSA titled “Sleep Apnea Crash Risk Study” it is their intent to’” reduce the large truck fatality rate by 41% from 1996 to 2008. This reduction translates into a rate of 1.65 fatalities in truck crashes per 100 million miles of truck travel.”
Of course as a driver myself, I realize that this is a very admirable goal after all what driver wants to end his or her career in a ball of flame or a cage of twisted steel, or worse end another person’s life.
It is 2010 so I am sure that goal has been redefined but this Tech report is only one of thousands of pieces of information out there about OBS or Obstructive Sleep Apnea that the FMCSA has been gathering in order to justify more unfunded mandates on the hard working truckers of this country
If you do not know what OBS is, it is a condition where the fatty tissue of your throat and or your tongue restricts your breathing while asleep. This causes your body to respond in many ways causing you to wake up enough to clear the restriction so you can breathe. Most people do not wake fully but their sleep cycle is disturbed enough to affect their rest, resulting in day time sleepiness and as the severity increases, the sleepiness becomes sever with people falling asleep at some of the most awkward times, like when driving. This disease when not treated becomes progressively worse, adding complications such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.
Treatment is nearly always successful at stopping or retarding the progression of this disease. However the treatment is uncomfortable at first and many people have difficulty adjusting to it. The treatment consist of wearing a nose mask that is attached to a CPAP that blows a consistent stream of air through your nose to keep your airway open while sleeping.
I was diagnosed with this disease in 1992, so if the proposed rule change goes into effect (and it will) I will once again become disqualified until the doctors can prove that I am fit to drive a semi-truck, never mind the fact that I already have been on a CPAP the entire length of my career and have never had a fatigue related accident or incident.
What really bugs the living daylights out of me is the fact that the FMCSA is focusing on this problem and calling it a major cause of fatigue related accidents. OSA may be a factor in a very small amount of fatigue related accidents, but the truth is there are many more reasons, reasons that can be controlled without medical treatment, for fatigue related crashes, but the FMCSA isn’t even looking at those reasons. Instead the FMCSA is once again looking at the driver and requiring him to take the brunt of a problem that is not his fault.
There is a lot more I could right on this issues and will at a later point in time. I hope this has been informative for you. If you think you or someone you know has sleep apnea e-mail me and I will send you some links to get your research started.
Meanwhile, if you think you might want to Drive Truck for a living, you really need to get my book, it is only five bucks and it could save you thousands. You can download it here So, you want to be a Truck Driver
No comments:
Post a Comment