| > | | | | causing accidents? |
| | | | The NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) |
| Toll Free: 866-761-1385 | | | | estimates that truck driver fatigue (lack of sleep, |
| How current an issue is tractor trailer truck driver | | | | overwork) may be a factor in over a third of all |
| fatigue? | | | | large (semi, 18 wheeler) truck accidents. Further, |
| Truck driver fatigue is a very current issue and | | | | the NTSB found that truck driver fatigue was the |
| has been the subject of recent regulatory | | | | most likley cause in over 30% of crashes that |
| activity. Truck driver fatigue is the subject of | | | | were fatal to the fatigued truck driver. |
| new regulations issued by the USDOT (U.S. | | | | How common is it for a truck driver to fall asleep |
| Department of Transportation) through the | | | | at the wheel? |
| FMCSA branch, which handles motor carrier | | | | In the Journal of Public Health Policy, in 1992, a |
| (trucking) issues . Pursuant to these rules, a | | | | report showed that 1 in 5 truck drivers had been |
| tractor trailer truck driver may only drive 11 | | | | so fatigued that they had fallen asleep at the |
| hours after 10 consecutive hours off. In addition, | | | | wheel. |
| in order to prevent driver fatiugue, a tractor | | | | What is truck driver fatigue? |
| trailer truck driver may not drive more than 60 | | | | Fatigue is a broad term and includes being |
| hours in any seven day period. If a driver takes | | | | "sleepy", "tired" or "exhausted". This applies not |
| 2.5 days off, he can clean his consecutive hours | | | | only to the performance of physical activity, but |
| slate and start at 0 again. | | | | to mental activity as well. Thus, the decision |
| Why not require even stricter time limits to | | | | making capabilities of a truck driver can be |
| prevent driver fatigue? | | | | impared along with coordination. Fatigue can |
| Another factor in preventing accidents is driver | | | | severely impair judgment. In addition, the more |
| experience. If stricter guidelines were put in place | | | | tired you become, the less likely you will be to |
| immediately, there would be an insufficient | | | | recognize that you are tired. |
| number of experienced drivers. Thus, while | | | | What are the warning sigs of truck driver |
| decreasing the number of accidents caused by | | | | fatigue?yawninglack of concentrationred |
| tractor trailer truck driver fatigue, we would see | | | | eyesanxiousnessrestlessnessdrowsinessimpaired |
| an offset and even increase in total accidents due | | | | reaction timeattention deficitirritabilitylarge steering |
| to those accidents caused by truck driver | | | | correctionsmissing road signslane drift |
| inexperience. | | | | What are the high risk times for truck driver |
| Are all hours logged, or just driving hours? | | | | fatigue-related fatal crashes? |
| The Truckload Carriers Association has stated | | | | Studies show that fatal fatigue-related accidents |
| that drivers "understate their non-driving hours in | | | | tend to occur between 10pm-6am (during normal |
| their log books" and that to improve sales, | | | | human sleep hours), and 1pm-3pm (after a heavy |
| companies expect their drivers to "wait, unload, | | | | lunch). These times of the day coincide with dips |
| and load at the shipper's warehouses at no cost | | | | in the body's circadian rhythms, and with drops in |
| to the shipper" and only then, begin logging time | | | | blood sugar, which are part of the human |
| for their 11 hours. This may increase the actual | | | | makeup. |
| work hours by 50%, thus significantly increases | | | | Will these new regualtions cut down on fatal |
| the risk of truck driver fatigue. | | | | crashes due to truck driver fatigue? |
| How common is tractor trailer driver fatiuge in | | | | |