GREEN BAY, Wis. — One of the more driver-conscious carriers in North America was recently recognized by the American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA) for a detection and treatment program aimed at drivers who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Schneider National, which is credited with generating awareness within the trucking industry and educating drivers about the disorder, was given the prestigious American Sleep Apnea Award.

“We wanted to ensure this inaugural award was presented to a company who has gone above and beyond to provide treatment and support to the health and safety of its workforce,” said Edward Grandi, executive director of ASAA. “The program Schneider implemented was innovative and proactive and has been successful in many ways. We feel it will serve as the example by which all other award recipients will be measured from this point forward.”

Added Don Osterberg, vice president of safety and training for Schneider National: “Because the symptoms of sleep apnea are dangerous and potentially deadly, we felt it was imperative to create a program aimed at improving the health and safety of our drivers. The drivers we determined to be ‘high risk,’ based upon a prescreen questionnaire, were provided with a treatment program. This approach has greatly improved the overall health of these drivers, reduced our healthcare benefits costs and delivered a 30 percent reduction in accident frequency due to driver fatigue.”

Click the Related Stories links to read more about Schneider’s program.