I got this letter back after inquiring the CDC (Center for Disease Control) about Driver health in regards to Anti Idling Laws. I was refered to the CDC from the FMCSA and OSHA. It really doesn't sound like they really care. This letter is from OSHA, you know the people who are suppose to ensure safety in the workplace!

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Letter Starts Here
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Dear Mr. ****,

Thank you for your comments regarding the current Anti-Idling laws and their potential impact on truck driver quality of sleep. While NIOSH does not at present have any position on this issue, I would like to make you aware of some NIOSH activities that I think may be of interest to you.

At his time, NIOSH is preparing to conduct in late 2009 and early 2010 a large, nationally-representative survey of long-haul truck drivers to collect information on truck driver health, sleep disorders, fatigue, working conditions, and non-fatal injuries. NIOSH is undertaking this effort because while truck drivers’ have a high rate of injury and illness, little research has been done directly in this population. As I am sure you are aware, in evaluating the potential health effects of the 2005 hours-of-service ruling, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration stated that due to a lack of evidence specific to trucking operations, information from other industries had to be adapted to a trucking environment. It is anticipated that the NIOSH survey will improve this situation. Other research needs that have been communicated to NIOSH from the trucking industry include the need for detailed data on the prevalence of selected health conditions and risk factors among truck drivers; and data on working conditions, injury causes and outcomes, and health behaviors. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has indicated that data such as these will assist in future rulemaking as well as in development of non-regulatory approaches to health and safety promotion. While the already developed survey does not directly address the idling laws, a large aspect of this survey deals specifically with work schedules and resultant sleep/rest patterns, sleep quality, and subjective levels of fatigue among drivers. In addition, there are opportunities for respondents participating in the survey to include open-ended responses that may collect information on factors such as the idling laws. For more information on this NIOSH research effort and/or to post comments on an active blog, please follow these links.
www.cdc.gov/niosh/docket/nioshdocket0110.html
www.cdc.gov/niosh/blog/nsb111907_truck.html

The following summarizes some recent research on sleep disorders among truck drivers that might also be of interest to you. In 2002, the FMCSA and the American Transportation Research Institute of the American Trucking Associations (ATA) sponsored a study to establish the prevalence of sleep apnea among commercial truck drivers in Pennsylvania, and to examine the relationship between severity of sleep apnea and driver performance. The results revealed that 17.6% of commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders had mild sleep apnea, 5.8% had moderate sleep apnea, and 4.7% had severe sleep apnea. The study demonstrated that the prevalence of sleep apnea in this group depended on the relationship between two major factors: age and obesity, with prevalence increasing in both. Also, short sleep duration, six hours or less per night, resulted in an increase in the prevalence of sleep disorders [A study of prevalence of sleep apnea among commercial truck drivers. U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Office of Research and Technology, DOT Publication No. FMCSA-RT-02-080. (2002)]. The above-mentioned NIOSH survey will be asking several questions to screen drivers for sleep disorders and establish prevelance.

It also may interest you to know that according to 2001 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost 15 million Americans work evening shift, night shift, rotating shifts, or other employer arranged irregular schedules. The International Labour Office in 2003 reports that working hours in the United States exceed Japan and most of western Europe. Particularly relevant to the demanding schedules of truck driving is that shift work and long work hours have been associated with health and safety risks. This page provides links to NIOSH publications and other resources that address demanding work schedules.
www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/workschedules/

Lastly, an excellent NIOSH publication, titled Plain Language About Shiftwork, talks about the ways in which individuals are subjected to irregular work schedules and, moreover, outlines several practical coping strategies to help ensure these individuals are getting enough good sleep. To view or download this document, please go to: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/97-145.pdf

Once again, we appreciate your comment, and would welcome any additional comments or suggestions you may have on the NIOSH blog mentioned previously.

Sincerely,

Edward Hitchcock, PhD.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Division of Applied Research and Technology
4676 Columbia Parkway, MS C-24
Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998

Today I talked to Dr. Hitchcock on the phone for the first time. I explained to him the problem with the current Anti-Idling laws and the effect they are having on "Company Drivers" in particular. Company Drivers do not have any control on whether their employer chooses to install an APU on the truck. Also the tempurature inside trucks on hot days and being forced to "attempt" to sleep in those conditions.

Dr Hitchcock listened intently and asked some very good questions. He was not fully aware of the scope of the problems that the Anti-Idling Laws created for Company Drivers. He agreed that this is certainly a problem that needs to be dealt with as it most definately has a direct relation to fatigue amongst other problems. He stated to me that in the survey he is about to start "SEE 1st COMMENT" that he will include something about the need for an APU or other technology to solve the problem.

Dr. Edward Hitchcock works for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) whos job it is to make recomendations to (OSHA) in workplace policy.

Dr. Hitchcock will be watching this posting regularly for reader comments on this subject, so drivers, Please post your comments on how Anti-Idling has affected your job. Whether you have an APU or not.

Where is this survey that he is talking about supposed to take place? If it's at a truck scale I imagine he will get alot of hostility in light of what they have been doing in MN. I would be interested to know how he plans to administer it.

I am currently a company driver for Knight Transportation. I have been with the company for less than a year. When I first hired on, I asked if the trucks are/will be equipped with APU’s. The response I got was, “Knight owns the trucks outright, and it is not cost effective to place APU’s on them to just turn around and have to remove when we sell them.”
What sort of crap is that?!? An APU properly installed when the rig is first bought will pay for itself in the first year the truck is in service(decreased idle-time, wear and tear on truck engine, and decreased fuel cost), not to mention the fact that a properly maintained APU-equipped truck will bring $5,000 to $10,000 more on resale then a non APU-equipped truck.
Something needs to be done about companies like this. They need to wake up and realize that a well rested driver is a more productive driver.

THIS IS KAGGSHORTYS WIFE GHERI, I HAVE BEEN OUT ON THE ROAD WITH MY HUSBAND SO I KNOW FIRST HAND ON HOW COMFORTABLE AND UNCOMFORTABLE IT CAN BE AND THE MAIN THING I DONT UNDERSTAND IS THIS STUPID IDLE LAW.. I WANT A DISPATCHER TO LAYOVER IN ARIZONA, TEXAS, OR PALM SPRINGS WITHOUT AIRCONDITIONING AND I WANT TO SEE WHAT A GOOD NITE SLEEP THEY GET AND THEN HAVE TO BE ON THEIR TOES WHEN IT COMES TO DRIVEING TONS OF METAL .THEY WANT THE LOAD THERE ON TIME THATS REALLY ALL THAT MATTERS BUT IF YOUR DRAINED FROM THE HEAT U HAD TO SUFFER THROUGH ALL NITE HOW CAN U BE ALERT LIKE YOUR SUPPOSE TO BE. TRUCKER ARE THE BACK BONE OF THIS COUNTRY IF YOU DONT DELIVER IT WE DONT EAT IT, DRINK IT, WEAR IT, WATCH IT OR DRIVE IT YA THATS IT THE PUBLIC AND THE TRUCKING COMPANIES ARE PRETTY MUCH SCREWED IF THESE DRIVERS ARENT TAKEN CARE OF ….COME ON COMPANIES!!!!! EVEN IF YOU PAY FOR IDLE AIR YOUR GOING TO COME OUT CHEAPER ,BECAUSE I TELL U WHAT… IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO MY HUSBAND BECAUSE OF A HEAT STROKE OR ANY THING TO DO WITH NOT BEING ABLE TO IDLE HIS TRUCK THERE IS GOING TO BE HELL TO PAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOOD LUCK TRUCKERS, I AM A TRUCKERS WIFE AND DAM PROUD OF IT. GOD BLESS U ALL AND KEEP YOU SAFE.