In The News

Firms offer sleep apnea program

On May 26, Affiliated Computer Services and Sleep Pointe announced ACS’ new sleep apnea reporting service through the company’s TripPak Truck Stop SCANNING Network at TravelCenters of America and Petro locations.

The program is aimed at carriers looking to monitor driver usage of sleep apnea devices and is an answer to the National Transportation and Safety Board’s recommendation that commercial drivers who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea provide evidence of effective treatment.

“With this service, carriers can help prevent accidents by pinpointing at-risk drivers who suffer from sleep apnea,” said Kelley Walkup, division vice president and general manager for ACS. “Most fleets lack the national infrastructure to collect and evaluate the treatment information from drivers on the road, so we see considerable demand for this type of end-to-end sleep apnea compliance reporting system.”

The sleep apnea reporting service provides fleets with the infrastructure to collect sleep data from drivers from the road and better manage and mitigate sleep apnea risks.

“Driver health and driver rest are critical parts of public safety,” said Duke Naipohn, president and CEO of Sleep Pointe. “The idea behind this is to allow drivers to be monitored for compliance without forcing drivers to break their stride in their normal driving routine.”

For a demonstration on how drivers using Sleep Pointe’s APAP machines that use “smart sticks” can upload sleep data through ACS’s sleep apnea reporting service, click the video above.

Last year, ACS and Sleep Pointe partnered to help carriers collect and evaluate sleep apnea treatment information from auto-titrating positive air pressure machines. ACS says establishing the reporting service at TA and Petro locations helps carriers better monitor fleet safety. The sleep apnea compliance reporting service is available at 68 TA and Petro locations, and will eventually be offered at all 187 TA and Petro company-operated locations nationally.

The first two fleets to implement the new program are Prime Inc., Springfield, Mo., and Crete Carrier Corp., Lincoln, Neb.

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