A bill has been proposed in Congress that would force the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to delay any action on correcting sleep apnea in commercial drivers. The FMCSA has been attempting to unroll guidance on this topic so that certain susceptible demographics could be diagnosed by a doctor and given access to therapies that could encourage safety along the roads. The worry is that those drivers who suffer from sleep apnea have sleepless nights that could take the form of daytime fatigue, a dangerous situation at the wheel. This new bill would force the FMCSA to issue a regulation instead of simple guidance, the thought being that guidance leaves fleets open to liability. If the bill eventually passes, the FMCSA would have to go through the lengthier rule-making process.
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