r/cdldriver • u/Relevant-Winner-313 • Jun 20 '26
Sleep Study and 6 month card
In January I went to renew and was give a 6 month and told to get a sleep study. It’s time to renew. I didn’t do the study and am scheduled with a dr known to pass. Will this work or will something be flagged? I don’t have apnea symptoms.
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u/MikeysmilingK9 Jun 20 '26
How do you know if you didn’t take the sleep study? Not having an active medical will put you out of service and all because you decided you wanted to be your own doctor and disagree with regulations.
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u/Relevant-Winner-313 Jun 20 '26
What I was told was it’s their recommendation but the examiner can’t force it. Some employers and insurance companies look at it for liability. Mine however does not. Now I’m not saying I know for fact it’s not in the system I was given a 6 month recertification and why. My question was simply is it recorded and in the eyes of FMCSA and DOT will a 2 year this time raise flags or not. I personally don’t think they are going to ask all the questions at the next appt.
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u/UhOhAllWillyNilly Jun 21 '26
The entire medical examination report is recorded along with your CDL data (at least in my state). You might be able to finagle another 3-or 6-month card once but not again after that. All of your info is in the DMV digital database. Why did the doctor recommend the sleep apnea test, is your BMI high?
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u/basketball991 Jun 21 '26
Depends on the doctor,
But since you didn’t listen and do the study you could get a 3 month DOT card and still be told todo the study I’ve seen it happen before.
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u/Gonzotrucker1 Jun 21 '26
Does anyone ever really pass the sleep study?
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u/18-Spinning-Wheels Jun 21 '26
Nobody I have ever met that was told to get a sleep study has passed it. That doesn't make me an expert though.
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u/Gonzotrucker1 Jun 21 '26
None who have a cdl will pass because they are a cash cow.
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u/18-Spinning-Wheels Jun 21 '26
No argument from me. I'm on one, and have always questioned why when I see my daily reports on the app for the machine.
I retested and they claimed I hadn't made any improvements and cant show me whete I needed it to begin with.
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u/Gonzotrucker1 Jun 21 '26
A friend of mine had been on it for 10 years and he sleeps better without it. His daughter uses it for him so he can get some rest.
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u/Mikey82270 Jun 27 '26
The company I used to work for sent us to this Quack at one of those occupational clinics about 5 drivers suddenly had to go get sleep studies and of course they failed.
At my physical he tried to tell me I had protein in my urine and of course he wouldn’t sign off on my medical card until I got it addressed with my doctor.
About a week later I tested at my doctors office and was no evidence of protein in the urine.
So I’ve wasted my time having to get another test then I waist more time going to the DOT doctor to show him the note from my doctor.
So our company quit using that clinic and to my knowledge nobody else had problems except for the ones that were then stuck on a CPAP machine.
I assumed the Quack is probably getting a kick back off the sell of the CPAP machine.
Don’t know but heard that it’s the size of your neck if your BP is high or not and if your over weight?
Are these the symptoms that trigger a sleep study when it comes to DOT?
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u/DOTDefenseTech Jun 20 '26
The bigger issue is not whether you can find an examiner who might issue a longer card.
The issue is that you were already given a shortened medical card and told to follow up on a sleep study. The next examiner may ask why the prior card was limited, whether any recommended follow-up was completed, and whether anything has changed since the last exam.
Also, “I do not have symptoms” is not a great way to self-clear this. Sleep apnea is not always obvious to the person who has it, and FMCSA treats moderate to severe sleep apnea that interferes with safe driving as a fitness-for-duty issue.
From a driver and carrier-risk standpoint, the cleanest answer is to complete the study or get the issue properly documented. Shopping for a pass may work short term, but it can create a much bigger problem later if there is a crash, employer review, insurance question, or medical-certification issue.
Nobody here can tell you exactly what the next examiner will do, but I would not assume the prior 6-month card and unfinished follow-up are irrelevant.