They know that since there is a perennial shortage of truck drivers the trucking industry, not the individual drivers, would have to eat the cost so their lobbyists went to bat. Airlines aren't worried because they know the pilots will pay for it themselves.

Sad but probably spot on.

What is Tilton's role here? Are medical device companies and disorder associations allowed to lobby the FAA or NTSB directly? Are there kickbacks or post Govt. positions on the line? Why is this his big cause? He got smacked down last year, reworded a few things, and is back this year. Seems very determined to get this testing done.

Remember what Deep Throat said?

Follow the Money.

Tilton has since retired. His orignal plan to arbitrarily test anyone with a BMI 40 and higher and not issue a medical until it was resovled. That came under extreme pressure form all interested stake holders.

What was issued March 4th, 2015 is the new amended policy. Sneaky in a way but the way I read the document is you can't be denied soley on high BMI. Will a high BMI trigger an evaluation? That seems to be a 'clinical judgement' based on criteria to be determined by the AME.

Rest assured, if your evaluated you will be found to have sleep disorder. Here's your CPAP, see us in 30 days, what a crock.

If you go back to the original FAA 'study' of the matter, the OSA 'experts' were a couple of 'sleep disorder' doctors who own clinics. So yes, follow the money.


You'll also find that the same companies that administer the OSA tests also sell CPAP equipment. So it's in their best interest to find that you have OSA, so they get recurring sales of CPAP supplies.

That's not true. I read a couple of trucking forums on this last night.
New truckers are forced to go to doctors chosen by large trucking companies. Many of these doctors are forcing the applicants to get sleep studies, likely at clinics where they get kickbacks. It's another $2200 or so (between study and CPAP) for an applicant. Of course these OSA study/CPAP providers are nice enough to have automatic payments from new truckers' paychecks.

Even experienced truckers are being forced to pay for these contraptions out of their paychecks. So no, it's not the trucking companies paying for CPAPs, nor is it their insurance.

Tilton? (filler)

Dr Frederick Tilton. Former FAA head of the AME branch. FAA in Open Contempt of Pilots, Congress | Flying Magazine

He's the one that brought in sleep 'experts' who came up with this crap.


This should be interesting for international pilots who want to sleep during flight. Break out the CPAP and hook it up while trying to rest on a flight. ... for those that don't know, CPAP machines record usage.