Commercial trucking in the United States is a complex and regulation-laden business, with lots of relevant actors. Names that arise frequently in matters concerning safety rules, truck accidents, hours of service and related issues include the National Transportation Safety Board ("NTSB"), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ("FMCSA"), the American Trucking Associations (ATA") and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

One issue that has garnered the strong attention of all these groups recently is the role that driver fatigue plays in truck crashes, particularly when that fatigue owes predominantly to sleep apnea.

The FMCSA will hear testimony in December regarding apnea testing and treatment for commercial drivers. The administration has not yet drafted specific regulations, but officials say that the increasing incidents of apnea-related accidents have them considering rules for regulating truckers.

Likewise, the NTSB is stressing firmer guidance and controls in this area. Because the board's power stops short of coercion, it focuses on making relevant recommendations. Since 2009, those have included mandatory sleep apnea testing and treatment when necessary for all commercial vehicle operators.

What the ATA has done is specifically focus attention on the demonstrated link between apnea and obesity. A report from the organization in 2007 stated that the problem is acute in the trucking industry, where the average body mass index of a driver is 31. The national benchmark for obesity is 30.

The NTSB states that as many as 2,000 deaths occur on American roadways each year that are attributable to commercial truck drivers' fatigue.

Related Resource: American-Statesman, "New Braunfels widow fights sleep apnea in transportation" Sept. 26, 2011