HEADLINES
Contractors Share Concerns About Sleep Apnea During Capitol Hill ‘Bus-In’
National School Transportation Association members, school
bus manufacturers and other American School Bus Council rep- resentatives met with congressional members April 24-26 during NSTA’s Spring Meeting and “Bus-In” to discuss a host of issues affecting operators. None are bigger than sleep apnea. Estimates are that 18 million Americans suffer from sleep ap-
nea, which studies have shown that can lead to increases in blood pressure, the major contributor to heart disease. FMCSA claims that one third of commercial drivers suffer from the disorder. During the event, school bus contractors expressed concern
over a federal requirement that a commercial driver diagnosed with sleep apnea lose his or her CDL until a certified medical ex- aminer qualifies that the driver is fit for duty. FMCSA also wants drivers to be tested for sleep disorders that can contribute to daytime drowsiness, a danger for commercial drivers. John Benish, an NSTA at-large director and COO of Cook-Illi-
nois Corporation in Chicago, said there is little federal guidance on how to pay for annual sleep apnea tests, which can range from
$400 to $700 per person, or who will pay those costs. Another concern is, if sleep apnea diagnoses are made, how will individual drivers be expected to pay for additional equipment to treat the condition that can run costs into the thousands of dollars? “Drivers are hard to find, already,” Benish added. NSTA members also broke into groups by state and legislative
districts to meet with their direct representatives on Capitol Hill. Discussions centered on the preservation of the school bus fuel tax exemption, the sustainability of the Diesel Emissions Reduction Program administered by the EPA and the limiting of federal trans- portation budget reductions. NSTA members also sat in on a panel discussion led by both a senior Republican and Democrat on the 2012 presidential race and their outlook on the current campaigns. NSTA members also heard from Charlie Black, chairman of the
association’s lobbying firm Prime Policy Group, and Nate Tibbits, chair of the U.S. Public Affairs Practice at D.C. public relations firm Burson-Marstellar and a former National Security Council advisor to President Obama. ■
24 School Transportation News Magazine June 2012
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68