Heavy vehicle driver fatigue: Observing work and rest behaviours of truck drivers in Australia

Abstract

The extant transport literature suggests that truck driver fatigue is a leading contributor in truck crashes. Various factors are known to affect a truck driver’s ability to comply with work and rest requirements, including long working hours, irregular work schedules, sleep deprivation and driving at night. In Australia, while control measures restrict the number of hours of work a truck driver may undertake without rest, they travel vast distances and work with a high level of autonomy. This makes it difficult for transport companies to monitor and manage truck drivers’ work and rest compliance; thereby relying on them to self-manage driver fatigue at designated rest-stops. However, there is little Australian research examining rest-stop behaviour of truck drivers in relation to driver fatigue compliance. To better understand how truck drivers manage driver fatigue, an exploratory participant observation study of truck drivers (N = 378) was undertaken at two Australian truck rest stops in rural New South Wales. The findings indicate that while most truck drivers comply with rest requirements regarding driver fatigue, load type, driver changeovers, access to parking, and time spent on work-related activities at the rest areas affects the time truck drivers spend at rest, and these factors are likely to increase the risk of truck drivers not complying with driver fatigue regulation. They are also likely to increase the number of truck drivers involved in fatigue related crashes.