Heard New Year's Eve The 2014 DOT Physical Will Have BMI Requirements
Topic 2348 | Page 1
Hi. I was at a McDonald's restaurant New Year's Eve and spoke to the driver who just completed a refridgerated pallet delivery. He is a career driver--a 19-yr CDL veteran. He took time to answer questions.
The driver gave me some information about high blood pressure & health issues for passing the DOT physical. He said the medical screener at his last MS physical in SEPT 2013 told him the DOT physical would likely include BMI / basic mass index (weight per height) requirements.
This driver brought it up as a concern for himself. He described himself as a "big guy" but with good blood pressure readings. I was supportive and thanked him for bringing this out in the open since it is not yet a requirement.
I am not a driver and am considering getting my CDL through WIA (assuming passing all tests, etc.). My blood pressure has improved this past year, but I've started taking it when the idea of getting my CDL came up. I wanted to check my blood pressure ranges to see if it will kick me out of the DOT physical.
Can anyone experienced who is keeping up with the trucking industry comment to BMI? It is important.
THanks in advance. This forum & testing material have helped greatly.
Niki,
Welcome to the forum.
High blood pressure can indeed be a problem. Most companies require 140/90 as the max allowed. Lower would be much better. I, like lots of drivers, take meds to control possible high BP.
You can check your BMI online, just do a google search and you will find sites that you can input your info & they will tell you the results. I know here at Prime, the max that will not trigger you having to do a sleep study to determine if you have sleep apnea is I believe 34 or 35. Anything above that you will be required to do a sleep study (at your expense). Most times (not always) the results will come back that you will need a CPAP machine to help with your sleep apnea.
Anything else we can help with, be sure to ask.
Ernie
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
BMI:
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:
- Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
- Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit
It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.
CPAP:
Constant Positive Airway Pressure
CPAP is a breathing assist device which is worn over the mouth or nose. It provides nighttime relief for individuals who suffer from Sleep Apnea.
Niki, I don't personally know the answer to your question of whether the BMI will be included in the DOT physical, but I can tell you that it is already being used by most trucking companies in the physical that they do. Most companies do a more thorough physical than is actually required by the DOT regulations. Here again is an area where the insurance carriers are dictating what is required for employment.
I will say though, that if you are concerned that this will keep you out of a trucking career, that is a false assumption. There are a lot of drivers out on the road who use their C-PAP machines while sleeping. This is something quite common now days. It is necessary for a professional driver to get proper rest, and the C-PAP machine does wonders for those who need it.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
BMI:
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:
- Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
- Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit
It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Indeed there are a lot of drivers with CPAP machines. But ya know, losing weight is a lot easier than stressing over being heavy, I can tell ya that. For someone that is more than 40 pounds above their ideal weight you can simply count calories and lose 15 pounds per month without exercising. In just a few months you can lose a ton of weight and keep it off. That would be the way to go.
Right now BMI and Sleep Apnea testing are not part of the Federal requirements for the DOT physical. But just like the drug testing industry did years ago the Sleep Apnea testing & treatment industry is growing like mad right now. They have a lot of money and momentum behind them and they're pleading, partitioning, and lobbying anyone and everyone to get their tests and equipment included in company physicals and DOT physicals. So I wouldn't be surprised to find that more and more companies will be testing for it, and someday you might see it in the Federal DOT requirements.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
BMI:
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:
- Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
- Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit
It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.
CPAP:
Constant Positive Airway Pressure
CPAP is a breathing assist device which is worn over the mouth or nose. It provides nighttime relief for individuals who suffer from Sleep Apnea.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
I know here at Prime, the max that will not trigger you having to do a sleep study to determine if you have sleep apnea is I believe 34 or 35. Anything above that you will be required to do a sleep study (at your expense). Most times (not always) the results will come back that you will need a CPAP machine to help with your sleep apnea.
So Rob Low must own the company building the CPAP machines, too........ 
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
CPAP:
Constant Positive Airway Pressure
CPAP is a breathing assist device which is worn over the mouth or nose. It provides nighttime relief for individuals who suffer from Sleep Apnea.
I know here at Prime, the max that will not trigger you having to do a sleep study to determine if you have sleep apnea is I believe 34 or 35. Anything above that you will be required to do a sleep study (at your expense). Most times (not always) the results will come back that you will need a CPAP machine to help with your sleep apnea.
So Rob Low must own the company building the CPAP machines, too........
I do know of at least 1 driver that beat the need for a CPAP machine. Can't say if Rob Low has his fingers in that pie, sure would seem like it though.
But if you look at the whole picture, not just the small slice, it makes sense that a driver needs to be well rested in order to be at the top of his/her game as they go down the road.
I am in no way endorsing the Sleep Apnea thing, but am trying to look at it from a safety perspective.
Ernie
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
CPAP:
Constant Positive Airway Pressure
CPAP is a breathing assist device which is worn over the mouth or nose. It provides nighttime relief for individuals who suffer from Sleep Apnea.
I am in no way endorsing the Sleep Apnea thing, but am trying to look at it from a safety perspective.
The problem is that Sleep Apnea affects only a very tiny percentage of the population and the testing is very expensive and cumbersome. They have to have you do an overnight sleep study while they monitor you. These studies can range anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars and require a night spent in a lab. They have "home testing kits" but there's no way that's gonna fly in the trucking industry. It's fine for self-diagnosis, but if you're being tested for driving a commercial vehicle they're going to want to insure it's done properly by licensed physicians at a legitimate lab.
So the Sleep Apnea people who can make a lot of money off these tests would naturally like to require everyone to be tested for it, but the question is who pays for all this testing? You have 3.5 million commercial drivers on the road, a 100% turnover rate in the industry, and a Federal requirement that says every time a commercial driver changes jobs they require a new DOT physical. So that would mean roughly 3.5 million people would have to be tested annually. At an average cost of $1000/test that would mean $3.5 billion dollars a year on testing alone. Then you'd have to have everyone that tests positive buy the equipment which can also be several hundred to several thousand dollars per person.
So you're talking about requiring millions of people annually to spend the night in a clinic and someone has to pay the bill on billions of dollars in testing....all for a very small percentage of the population.
I'm not for or against any of this. I'm just stating the facts. This is no small problem and there's no simple solution. People who have been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea and began using a CPAP machine have said it's completely life-changing for them in a big way. I'd love to see anyone with Sleep Apnea diagnosed and treated but the reality is that someone has to pay for all this.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
CPAP:
Constant Positive Airway Pressure
CPAP is a breathing assist device which is worn over the mouth or nose. It provides nighttime relief for individuals who suffer from Sleep Apnea.
I do know of at least 1 driver that beat the need for a CPAP machine. Can't say if Rob Low has his fingers in that pie, sure would seem like it though.
But if you look at the whole picture, not just the small slice, it makes sense that a driver needs to be well rested in order to be at the top of his/her game as they go down the road.
I am in no way endorsing the Sleep Apnea thing, but am trying to look at it from a safety perspective.
Ernie
Ernie, Who would argue that a driver who isn't sleeping well on his rest breaks is as safe a driver as one who is? Well, I guess I can name a few politicians who might, but who in their RIGHT mind? That is a given.
The problem I have with the Prime policy vis a vis sleep apnea (and I had my tongue only halfway in my cheek when I said that about Rob Low owning part of the CPAP manufacturer) is that if Prime (and by extension Rob Low) is going to demand that a driver go through the testing and use the machine regardless of whether or not there is a clearly defined issue regarding sleep apnea and only a suspicion of it being "possible", then it is Prime (i.e. Rob Low) who should be getting out the checkbook and paying for it.
They shouldn't be imposing those high costs on the driver. We all know he (or she) can't afford it. He drives for Prime!
But that's not the way one gets rich.....
Cheers, Howard
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
CPAP:
Constant Positive Airway Pressure
CPAP is a breathing assist device which is worn over the mouth or nose. It provides nighttime relief for individuals who suffer from Sleep Apnea.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
if Prime (and by extension Rob Low) is going to demand that a driver go through the testing and use the machine regardless of whether or not there is a clearly defined issue regarding sleep apnea and only a suspicion of it being "possible", then it is Prime (i.e. Rob Low) who should be getting out the checkbook and paying for it.
The problem the industry faces is deciding who to test. They know people who are obese have a much higher risk of having sleep apnea but that's the only real clue they have right now. So companies who are testing are currently testing people above a certain BMI (body mass index). But that's obviously not completely reliable either.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
BMI:
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:
- Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
- Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit
It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.
Body Mass Index:
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:
- Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
- Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit
It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.
Just found this article and it's very interesting especially about the BMI. Shows how out-dated the BMI formula is because our bodies have evolved from the 1840's. Even more now then the 1990's the body has changed. The basic of the article is below and the link for the entire thing is listed also.
Last updated: 22 August 2014 What is BMI? It's a common enough question that isn't always accurately answered. At it's most basic, it's a calculation of the relationship between your height and weight. The higher your Body Mass Index the more overweight you are. Many doctors and healthcare professionals use BMI as a guide when they are assessing the general health of patients. However, the method, which has been in use since the 1840's, has some weaknesses. The first problem is that it doesn't give a real estimate for the percentage of body fat. Another problem is that men and women can have the same percentage of fat but different BMI readings. Finally, carrying a lot of muscle can give an inaccurate BMI reading.
http://www.thecalculatorsite.com/articles/health/alternatives-to-bmi.php
BMI:
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:
- Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
- Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit
It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.
Body Mass Index:
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:
- Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
- Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit
It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.
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Hi. I was at a McDonald's restaurant New Year's Eve and spoke to the driver who just completed a refridgerated pallet delivery. He is a career driver--a 19-yr CDL veteran. He took time to answer questions.
The driver gave me some information about high blood pressure & health issues for passing the DOT physical. He said the medical screener at his last MS physical in SEPT 2013 told him the DOT physical would likely include BMI / basic mass index (weight per height) requirements.
This driver brought it up as a concern for himself. He described himself as a "big guy" but with good blood pressure readings. I was supportive and thanked him for bringing this out in the open since it is not yet a requirement.
I am not a driver and am considering getting my CDL through WIA (assuming passing all tests, etc.). My blood pressure has improved this past year, but I've started taking it when the idea of getting my CDL came up. I wanted to check my blood pressure ranges to see if it will kick me out of the DOT physical.
Can anyone experienced who is keeping up with the trucking industry comment to BMI? It is important.
THanks in advance. This forum & testing material have helped greatly.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
BMI:
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:
It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.