Truck drivers hours-of-service regulations and occupational health

Abstract

Major industrialised countries, like the United States, Canada, Australia and countries of the European Union (EU) have Hours-of-Service (HoS) regulations for truck drivers that stipulate duration of continuous driving and rest periods. The purported aim is the improvement of road safety by reducing fatigue and drowsiness, but the regulations can also have a strong impact on the working conditions for drivers. Better working conditions for truck drivers is one of the aims of the EU HoS regulations, but they do not seem to fully produce the desired benefits. Truck drivers continue to have a high prevalence of back disorders, which have been linked with the time spent driving. They also have a high incidence of heart disease, which might be due to stress factors at work. Stress levels can be affected by HoS regulations, that leave the driver little job control and lead to social isolation. HoS regulations could contribute more to the improvement of working conditions of truck drivers through counteracting irregular work schedules, night driving and social isolation. Moving the focus from simple control of time spent driving or not driving to fatigue management could improve job control and working conditions for truck drivers without loss of traffic safety.