Approximately one-third of adults in the U.S. are overweight and the country’s trucking industry is not exempt.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) main task is to ensure that interstate commercial trucks are operated safely. This requires the agency track and create regulations addressing health conditions that may make driving more dangerous, including determining which should disqualify applicants for commercial vehicle licenses.

Diabetes is a serious and increasingly common medical condition. When conducting medical examinations, the certified medical examiner should be familiar with the requirements and regulations for those applicants with diabetes, in addition to other specific conditions.

National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (NRCME) recognizes Attention Deficit Disorder / Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in the Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver (CMV) as a treatable condition.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition that results in the cessation of breathing during periods of sleep. The apnea can last anywhere from a few seconds to greater than 10 seconds and may occur several times per hour. OSA occurs when the muscles of the throat that keep the airway open, relax to the point of collapse which causes a partial or complete obstruction of the airway. This results in the snoring or grunting sound that a person with OSA may make during their sleep.