Alexandria, VA –

The re-release of a study completed by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) in 2002 on sleep apnea in the trucking industry provides a great opportunity for government and industry to tout all that has been done to improve commercial driver health and wellness since the study’s original release, says Rebecca Brewster, ATRI President and COO.   

Commenting on an ATRI study released in 2002 and widely reported on yesterday, Brewster said, “The goal of all ATRI research studies is to provide the science on which critical industry safety and productivity decisions should be made. The sleep apnea study done in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania highlighted the need for more education on sleep apnea and both industry and government acted on those findings in a very aggressive way.” 

The study, being reported on in the August 2006 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, found that sleep apnea was an issue in the industry, albeit at levels much lower than previous studies had found.  The study was funded through a cooperative agreement between the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and ATRI. 

Following its release in 2002, ATRI revamped its long-standing fatigue management training course to include the latest findings on the size and scope of the sleep apnea issue.  ATRI’s Gettin in Gear driver wellness training was also updated to include the latest on the importance of proper sleep hygiene. 

 “The industry has taken a very proactive position on driver wellness and we know that many of our member firms used the ATRI findings to update their individual health and wellness programs,” said Dave Osiecki, Vice President for Safety, Security and Operations at the American Trucking Associations.  Osiecki also cited steps by the FMCSA to initiate major changes in its commercial driver medical qualification oversight program; steps which ATA supports. 

 Additionally, changes made in 2004 to the federal hours establishing the minimum number of rest hours between driving shifts was increased by 25%.  As a result, FMCSA recently reported that, on average, truck drivers are obtaining more daily sleep as a result of the new minimum rest period.

 ATRI is the trucking industry’s 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research organization.  It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation’s essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.  For more information about this and other ATRI studies, visit www.atri-online.org.