Safety, eligibility, productivity and trucker well-being
What’s in this blog?
- What is sleep apnea?
- What are the risks of sleep apnea to truckers?
- Help reduce risk through access to sleep apnea treatment
- Protect drivers and reduce unnecessary costs with Agile Telehealth
In a recent study of commercial truck drivers, a staggering 78% were found to suffer from sleep apnea. That’s more than double the prevalence in the general population.
Obesity and smoking, both of which are more common among truckers, compound the risk.
As a result, sleep apnea can come with bigger threats than poor-quality sleep for truck drivers and the companies that employ them. In this blog, we’ll explore what unchecked sleep apnea rates could really be costing your fleet.
What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is a condition that causes a person to repeatedly stop breathing during sleep. It can range from mild to severe.
There are two main types of sleep apnea:
- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), where breathing stops because a person’s airway is physically obstructed by the muscles of the throat relaxing. This is the more common type of sleep apnea among truck drivers.
- Central sleep apnea (CSA), where breathing stops because the brain isn’t sending the proper signals to the body to keep breathing.
In addition to significantly reducing sleep quality, untreated sleep apnea can have consequences that negatively impact drivers’ daily life, long-term health, fleet safety and productivity.
What are the risks of sleep apnea to truckers?
Impaired mental unction
One of the most immediate dangers of sleep apnea for truck drivers is reduced cognitive function. Drivers with sleep apnea often have difficulty concentrating and struggle with mental fog due to their excessive sleepiness.
On the road, this can lead to things like missed signals and improper lane changes, which can contribute to accidents. On a broader scale, cognitive impairment can hurt a driver’s decision-making abilities, like route choices and break times, which can harm productivity.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, productivity losses stemming from obstructive sleep apnea cost employers an estimated $86.9 billion per year.
Decreased reaction times
Decreased reaction times are a closely related issue that can result from sleep apnea. Increased fatigue hurts a driver’s ability to respond quickly to unexpected circumstances–a car swerving in front of them or a tire blowing out, for example.
A Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) study found that driver fatigue played a role in 13% of serious crashes involving large trucks; this is one of the main reasons the organization revised its hours-of-service rules for drivers in 2013.
Licensing challenges
Looking beyond safety, sleep apnea can threaten a driver’s legal ability to be on the road. The FMCSA requires all drivers to be medically qualified in order to have a commercial driver’s license (CDL), and sleep apnea can be a disqualifier.
Loss of CDL means a driver must be pulled from the road, which can be costly and threaten a fleet’s ability to provide uninterrupted service.
Company liability
From a business standpoint, untreated sleep apnea among drivers increases a trucking company’s liability. If a driver who is known or suspected to have sleep apnea is involved in an accident, it could have legal ramifications for their employer.
In the event of a crash, an injured plaintiff could argue that the company failed to provide a safe work environment or was negligent in screening for sleep disorders. According to legal experts, a settlement in such a case can range from $100,000 to upwards of $1 million–a hefty price to pay as a result of a mostly preventable sleep impairment.
Increased healthcare costs
Sleep apnea compounds the risk for a range of other health conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, heart attack and depression. It can also be caused by pre-existing conditions like obesity.
All of these conditions require ongoing treatment and increase the incidence of health emergencies, which drive up overall healthcare expenses for a fleet. Missed work due to illness and the effects of a driver’s chronic condition add to the costs.
On the flip side, identifying and treating sleep apnea can reduce these costs while improving drivers’ health outcomes.
Help reduce risk through access to sleep apnea treatment
Sleep apnea is far more than a personal health condition. It’s a risk factor that can have wide-ranging ramifications on driver safety, company compliance, and liability.
Proactively addressing sleep apnea is critical to keep fleets running smoothly and protect companies’ viability. Trucking firms that institute employer-mandated OSA treatment save an average of $6,000 per driver over the course of 24 months.
Telehealth can aid in early diagnosis
One of the best ways to prevent sleep apnea costs from ballooning is to diagnose it early. Telehealth appointments are a flexible solution that fits drivers’ irregular hours and on-the-road lifestyle.
By meeting virtually with a qualified physician, a driver can be assessed for sleep apnea risk factors, discuss symptoms, and receive an initial opinion from a professional anywhere with an internet connection. This sets the stage for early intervention.
Virtual treatment options can improve outcomes
Once a sleep apnea diagnosis has been made, telehealth can help treat and manage it. A specialist can help get patients set up with a CPAP machine (a device that’s highly effective in treating obstructive sleep apnea) and consult virtually about its proper use.
Telemedicine services can also provide weight loss support via one-on-one counseling, nutrition advice, and prescription weight loss medication. Getting to a healthy weight can significantly improve and even resolve OSA symptoms.
Protect drivers and reduce unnecessary costs with Agile Telehealth
Give your tuckers the resources they need to stay healthy at no cost to your organization.
Agile Telehealth offers flexible, on-demand access to a range of health providers and services, empowering truck drivers to manage their health from anywhere. With our convenient offerings, truckers can select the programs that meet their needs and use them when it fits their schedule.
Given that 93% of employees value well-being as much as salary, virtual wellness offerings from Agile Telehealth can help trucking employers stay competitive and prevent the fleet-hopping that drives up turnover.
