Just letting you know how the Medical Review Boards meeting on drivers with seizure conditions went. My friend that attended the meeting tells me that it did not go well. The expert panel gave new updated data on drivers that have controlled seizures and drivers that have sleep issues. The panel discussed how it can be safe and what the modern treatments are. The board did not debate the data and chose to make the restrictions stiffer. The board even asked the panel to repeat part of the data. "Drivers/people that have had controlled seizures for ten+ years and on medication have a lower chance of a seizure than anyone in the general population that has not had one." Sorry, but any driver that has the surgery will not qualify. Total BS!!!
The MRB voted that all drivers that are over weight, 33bmi (60-75% are) must have a sleep apnea test every DOT physical. All of this is at the drivers expense. Drivers that now have sleep apnea or sleep issues will no longer be qualified. Even the drivers that use c-pap in the trucks now and are treated will have to park. Now, all of this is just proposed and has to be made law by the FMCSA.
We all need to attend these meetings, and speak. You can attend even over the phone, and speak. The goal of the MRB is to make higher standards on us all.
All of this will be on the MRB/FMCSA web sight soon.