MILWAUKEE - They are some of the most dangerous drivers on the road, and they're driving 18 wheels, not four! The reason: Drowsiness. It's a factor in 100,000 reported crashes each year, involving 1,500 deaths--some that could be prevented.

Retired trucker Ron MacCudden drove for more than 40 years--much of that time with a medical condition that could have caused his death, and the deaths of countless others on the road.

"I never thought that I had a problem. I never snored, I never woke up gasping for air like some of the symptoms are," Ron recalls.

Ron was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea--after he retired. Looking back, he realizes the condition made him drowsy during the many hours he spent on the road.

"When I think of some of the symptoms I experienced when I was driving was sleepiness. I don't know any driver who drives 10 to 12 hours a day, and does not experience fatigue," Ron admits.

He's not alone. One study estimates up to half of all big rig drivers have Sleep Apnea. Deborah Reed is a Nurse Practitioner at the Sleep Wellness Institute in West Allis. She says the disease takes a toll on the body.

"When you're not breathing, your brain's sending you reminders all night long to keep breathing, because it senses that your oxygen's dropped, so you don't get a peaceful night's sleep," Reed explains.

She says a growing number of her patients are truck drivers. Once they're diagnosed, treatment is mandatory. But the problem is--many truck drivers are afraid to come forward, and aren't getting diagnosed.

"People are reluctant to talk about this because they're afraid they're gonna lose their job," Reed says.

That may soon change. There's a push to make Sleep Apnea testing mandatory for some truck and bus drivers. Green Bay-based trucking company Schneider International screens its drivers already. Don Osterberg is Senior Vice President of Safety and Driver Training for the company. He says he supports a testing law.

"It's the right thing, and you won't only feel good about the fact you stepped forward, but you're gonna feel much better once this condition is being treated," Osterberg says. He adds, "I do expect that we will see a mandate of some sort sometime in the next 2-3 years."

Treatment can be as simple as using a CPAP Mask to keep your airway open--so patients get a better night's sleep, and are more awake on the road. Ron warns, "When you're driving a vehicle weighing 80,000 pounds, it better be safe, because if you have an accident you're gonna hurt and kill a lot of people."

Now that Ron's driving on four-wheels instead of 18, he hopes every driver is getting a good night's sleep.

"If they are at risk, I definitely feel they should be tested, for their good and everybody's good--the good of the public," he says.

The Schneider Trucking official we spoke to is actually in Washington. D.C. this week talking to DOT officials about this very issue.

Sleep Apnea is also a concern for bus drivers. A Milwaukee County Transit System spokesperson says they have no specific programs for the condition, but they do have a new wellness program in place, and a new in-house nurse to address employee health concerns.