Why Truck Driver Fatigue is a Serious Problem

• Real World Example: John Trucker started driving immediately after coming on duty. He can drive for eight consecutive hours, take a half-hour break, and then continue to drive another three hours for a total of 11 hours behind the wheel.

60/70-Hour Duty Limit: The 60/70-hour duty limit is often referred to as the “weekly” limit. The 60/70 limit is not based on a “set” week (Sunday through Saturday, for example), rather, the limit is based on a “rolling” or “floating” seven or eight-day period. The oldest day’s hours drop off at the end of each day in calculating the total time on-duty for the past seven or eight days. So if a trucker works a 70 hour/eight-day schedule, the current day would be the newest day of an eight-day period and the hours worked nine days ago would drop out of the calculation. A driver would not be allowed to operate a commercial vehicle until his or her hours complied with their seven or eight-day work period.

• Real World Example: Joanna Driver has accumulated 67 hours of driving time during an eight-day period.

Since Joanna is operating on the 70-hour/eight-day rule, she is in compliance. Once Joanna reaches the 70-hour limit, she must stop driving until she has taken enough off-duty hours to operate a commercial vehicle again.

34-Hour Restart: Commercial truckers may “restart” their 60 or 70-hour clock calculations after taking 34 or more consecutive hours off-duty (or in a sleeper berth) or a combination of both.

• Real World Example: Justin Driver follows a 70-hour/8-day limit and works 14 hours per day for 5 days in a row. He has been on-duty for 70 hours. Justin is not permitted to drive again until he drops below 70 hours worked in an eight-day period. However, if Justin’s company allows him to use his 34-hour restart provision, he would have driving time available immediately after 34 consecutive hours off duty and start a new 70-hour/eight-day period.

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How Does Fatigue Affect Driving?

According to the CDC, drowsy driving is most common among those who have not had enough restful sleep, though it can also occur among those who work night shifts, use drugs and/or alcohol, or have undiagnosed sleeping disorders like sleep apnea.

It goes without saying that falling asleep behind the wheel is extremely dangerous. But fatigued driving can still profoundly affect one’s ability to safely drive a passenger vehicle or commercial truck.

Drowsiness behind the wheel can:

• Affect a driver’s ability to concentrate on the road and other vehicles.
• Slow reaction times in the event that a driver has to brake or maneuver suddenly.
• Impact a driver’s ability to make sound decisions regarding when, how, and if to operate.

Truck Driver Fatigue Statistics

The following driver fatigue statistics for trucks come from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Large Truck Crash Causation Study.

Of the 19 truck accident factors listed above, 15 are driver-related accident factors. While driver fatigue is a factor unto itself, driving tired can also lead to or exacerbate some of the other factors listed.

For example, driving fatigued can lead to inattention. If a driver is stressed to make a deadline, he or she may be more willing to try and combat their fatigue through the use of illegal drugs.

Driving Tired Affects Everyone, Not Just Truckers

Driver fatigue is not just a trucker issue; drivers of passenger vehicles are also at risk for drowsy driving, especially if they use medication that makes them sleepy, have sleep disorders or are shift workers.

• According to multiple surveys conducted by the CDC, one out of every 25 adults over the age of 18 reported that they had fallen asleep behind the wheel in the last 30 days.
• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that driver fatigue is responsible for more than 800 deaths per year.*
• Other studies have indicated that driver fatigue-related crashes may cause thousands of deaths every year.**

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* Based on average of two years of NHTSA drowsy driving data

** See: Masten SV, Stutts JC, Martell CA. Predicting daytime and nighttime drowsy driving crashes based on crash characteristic models. 50th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine; October 2006; Chicago, IL.

Klauer SG, Dingus TA, Neale VL, Sudweeks JD, Ramsey DJ. The Impact of Driver Inattention on Near-Crash/Crash Risk: An Analysis Using the 100-Car Naturalistic Study Data, 2006; Springfield, VA: DOT; year. DOT HS 810 594.