CPAP Compliance Reports for Commercial Drivers and Pilots – DOT FAA
If your job requires proof that your sleep apnea is being treated — for a DOT medical certification, an FAA medical certificate, or an employer/occupational health exam — this page explains how we document your CPAP therapy and what you can expect.
DOT and FAA rules are not the same everywhere
- DOT (commercial drivers): The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration sets the overall framework, but individual Medical Examiners — and in some cases state requirements — can apply their own judgment about what evidence of treatment they require. Requirements can vary by examiner and by state.
- FAA (pilots): The FAA has its own, separate process for sleep apnea, typically through an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME). FAA requirements are not the same as DOT requirements, even though both involve CPAP compliance.
- We cannot tell you in advance exactly what your examiner will require. Our role is to give you accurate, complete documentation of your therapy. The examiner, your employer, the DOT, or the FAA makes the final determination — not our clinic.
What our report includes
When you request a compliance report, we pull the data stored on your CPAP machine and prepare a letter addressed “To Whom It May Concern,” which includes:
- Date of your visit and the exact time period the report covers
- Days used and the percentage of nights used
- Days used 4+ hours and the percentage of nights at 4+ hours
- Average use, calculated only on the days the machine was used
- Residual AHI — breathing events still occurring per hour while on therapy
- Daytime sleepiness, based on your Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score
Two types of reports
Standard report
Once you have a full year of CPAP use on file, we run a report covering a full 365 days of data.
New-start report
If you’ve been on CPAP for less than a year, we will still prepare a report — but it will clearly state the shorter time period it covers, so the examiner reviewing your paperwork understands they are looking at partial data rather than a full year.
What this report does — and doesn’t — do
This letter documents your CPAP therapy and usage. It is not a medical clearance and does not guarantee certification. The decision to certify you — under DOT, FAA, or your employer’s occupational health requirements — belongs entirely to the examiner or agency reviewing your case.
Questions about your compliance report?
Call Keldik Sleep Medicine Clinic at (407) 735-5556.
This page is general information and does not replace advice from your examiner, employer, the DOT, or the FAA.