Exploring Links Between Medical Conditions and Safety Performance in Tractor Trailer Drivers

Project summary:

This project completes an initial phase, then extends and expands the Truckers & Turnover Project with two incremental components: 1) It finalizes a paper for publication in a refereed medical science journal with an analysis of the cost savings in medical insurance claims associated with the program. Individual motor carriers, based on the evidence of medical cost and crash costs savings accruing to a firm employing an OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) program, will more likely make investment in such programs even in the absence of regulations. Moreover, it may help reduce opposition to new regulations requiring OSA screening. 2) It reestablishes the legal and security conditions required to obtain new operational, human resource, and protected health data on drivers from the participating trucking firm. This component is substantially complete, and further progress now falls under RSI project #2, "The Screening Effectiveness of the Commercial Driver's Medical Examination."

• OST-R summary report for this project (PDF)
• Article in May 2016 issue of Sleep (subscription required for full access)
• Article in March 2016 issue of U.S. News & World Report

Previous related projects:

• Truckers & Turnover Project
  (2005)