Long-haul Drivers Research Articles

Analysis of Road Roughness and Driver Comfort in 'Long-Haul' Road Transportation Using Random Forest Approach.

Global trade depends on long-haul transportation, yet comfort for drivers on lengthy trips is sometimes neglected. Rough roads have a major negative influence on driver comfort and increase the risk of weariness, distracted driving, and accidents. Using Random Forest regression, a machine learning technique well-suited to examining big datasets and nonlinear relationships, this study examines the relationship between road roughness and driver comfort. Using the MIRANDA mobile application, data were gathered from 1,048,576 rows, including vehicle acceleration and values for the International Roughness Index (IRI). The Support Vector Regression (SVR) and XGBoost models were used for comparative analysis. Random Forest was preferred because of its ability to be deployed in real time and use less memory, even if XGBoost performed better in terms of training time and prediction accuracy. The findings showed a significant relationship between driver discomfort and road roughness, with rougher roads resulting in increased vertical acceleration and lower comfort levels (Road Roughness: SD-0.73; Driver's Comfort: Mean-10.01, SD-0.64). This study highlights how crucial it is to provide smooth surfaces and road maintenance in order to increase road safety, lessen driver weariness, and promote long-haul driver welfare. These results offer information to transportation authorities and policymakers to help them make data-driven decisions that enhance the efficiency of transportation and road conditions.

Adaptions in back muscle activity in long-haul truck drivers during prolonged driving with and without seat-integrated stimulation

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the development of back muscle activity during a simulated 4.5-h truck drive with professional long-haul truck drivers and to assess the effects of a seat-integrated stimulation on muscle activity during the drive. MethodMuscle activity was compared intra-individually between a stimulation condition (with seat-integrated stimulation) and a no-stimulation condition (without seat-integrated stimulation) in a simulated driving study (N = 16). During the drive, sEMGs of the m. trapezius pars descendens, m. trapezius pars ascendens and m. erector spinae were recorded bilaterally and the RMS values of the sEMG amplitudes were analyzed. ResultsThere was a significant increase in muscle activity within 1-h driving periods (in m. trapezius pars descendens and m. trapezius pars ascendens) in both the stimulation and the no-stimulation condition but not within the whole sitting duration (in all muscles). Contrary to our expectations, the RMS values did not differ between conditions. ConclusionShort-term effects on back muscle activity of long-haul truck drivers during 1-h driving periods were found with and without the seat-integrated stimulation. However, interruptions of the driving task seemed to be sufficient to eliminate these effects. These findings on back muscle activity in long-haul drivers reveal new insights as to what affects the musculoskeletal system in prolonged driving. OutlookIn future studies, an uninterrupted driving task under real conditions should be used to investigate possible effects of prolonged driving on truck drivers’ muscle activity in general and of seat-integrated stimulation on back muscle activity in particular.

Applying the Worker Well-Being Framework to Identify Factors that Impact Turnover Among Long-Haul Truck Drivers.

Drivers in the long-haul trucking industry have chronic health conditions, engage in unhealthy behaviors, and leave the industry at high rates. Previous work has not considered the health and safety outcomes resulting from the conditions of work in the trucking industry and their role in turnover. The goal of this study was to understand the expectations of an incoming workforce, explore how work conditions impact their well-being, and identify strategies for retention. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among current long-haul drivers and supervisors at trucking companies, and students and instructors at trucking schools (n = 33). Participants were asked about why they decided to enter the industry, their health challenges related to being in the trucking industry and whether these challenges were related to turnover, and strategies for retention. Health conditions, differences in job expectations, and work demands were associated with leaving the industry. Workplace policies and culture (e.g., lack of supervisor support, schedules that limited home time, company size, and lack of benefits) were associated with workers' intention to leave an organization. Strategies identified to improve retention included integrating health and wellness into onboarding, creating realistic job expectations for those entering the industry, establishing relationships with drivers and dispatchers, and developing policies to limit time away from family. Turnover in the trucking industry is a persistent problem and leads to a shortage of skilled workers, increases the workload, and reduces productivity. Understanding the relationship between the conditions of work and well-being provides a more holistic approach to address the health, safety, and well-being of long-haul truck drivers. Health conditions, differences in job expectations, and work demands were associated with leaving the industry. Workplace policies and culture (e.g., supervisor support, schedules that limited home time, lack of benefits) were associated with workers' intention to leave an organization. These conditions provide an opportunity for occupational health interventions to promote the physical as well as psychological health of long-haul truck drivers.

Unravelling the Complexity of Irregular Shiftwork, Fatigue and Sleep Health for Commercial Drivers and the Associated Implications for Roadway Safety.

Fatigue can be a significant problem for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. The lifestyle of a long-haul CMV driver may include long and irregular work hours, inconsistent sleep schedules, poor eating and exercise habits, and mental and physical stress, all contributors to fatigue. Shiftwork is associated with lacking, restricted, and poor-quality sleep and variations in circadian rhythms, all shown to negatively affect driving performance through impaired in judgment and coordination, longer reaction times, and cognitive impairment. Overweight and obesity may be as high as 90% in CMV drivers, and are associated with prevalent comorbidities, including obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, and cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. As cognitive and motor processing declines with fatigue, driver performance decreases, and the risk of errors, near crashes, and crashes increases. Tools and assessments to determine and quantify the nature, severity, and impact of fatigue and sleep disorders across a variety of environments and populations have been developed and should be critically examined before being employed with CMV drivers. Strategies to mitigate fatigue in CMV operations include addressing the numerous personal, health, and work factors contributing to fatigue and sleepiness. Further research is needed across these areas to better understand implications for roadway safety.

Pilot study and cumulative risk framework to advance long-haul driver health

Commercial drivers are essential to the economic recovery, yet their work exposes them to many health and safety hazards. Research to improve driver health should be designed with an understanding of both the complex occupational environment and the risk management context. We present results of a small pilot study of driver health concerns and behaviors to illustrate concepts and frameworks from human health risk assessment and management that may assist in the design and translation of driver and other worker health research. The pilot study surveyed eighteen long-haul truck drivers at a truck stop using an instrument adapted from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and a transient community needs assessment developed for the US Antarctic Program Recreation and Wellness Survey. Respondents’ characteristics and health concerns reflect existing literature: mostly male of older age with musculo-skeletal and chronic health conditions. The two most common barriers to physical activity were lack of time and physical limitations. Applying cumulative risk assessment and risk-based decision-making frameworks, we suggest that preventive health management opportunities can be improved for this transient community of workers through actions of employers, truck stop owners and their communities. Considering cumulative risk assessment and risk-based decision making in research design can facilitate holistic research considering co-exposures, risk factors and mitigators across multiple domains of health to inform worker protection.

The physical and mental health of Australian truck drivers: a national cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe negative health consequences of truck driving are well documented. However, despite the distinct occupational challenges between long- and short-haul driving, limited research has been conducted on how the health profile of these drivers differ. The aims of this study were to characterise the physical and mental health of Australian truck drivers overall, and to identify any differences in factors influencing the health profile of long-haul compared to short-haul drivers.Design, setting, and participantsIn this cross-sectional study, 1390 Australian truck drivers completed an online survey between August 2019 and May 2020. Questions included validated measures of psychological distress, general health, work ability and health-related quality-of-life. Participants driving 500 km or more per day were categorised as long-haul and those driving less than 500 km as short-haul.ResultsThe majority of survey respondents were classified as either overweight (25.2%) or obese (54.3%). Three in ten reported three or more chronic health conditions (29.5%) and poor general health (29.9%). The most commonly diagnosed conditions were back problems (34.5%), high blood pressure (25.8%) and mental health problems (19.4%). Chronic pain was reported by 44% of drivers. Half of drivers reported low levels of psychological distress (50.0%), whereas 13.3 and 36.7% experienced severe or moderate level of psychological distress respectively. There were a small number of differences between the health of long- and short-haul drivers. A higher proportion of short-haul drivers reported severe psychological distress compared to long-haul drivers (15.2% vs 10.4%, χ2 = 8.8, 0.012). Long-haul drivers were more likely to be obese (63.0% vs 50.9%, χ2 = 19.8, < 0.001) and report pain lasting over a year (40.0% vs 31.5%, χ2 = 12.3, 0.006). Having more than one diagnosed chronic condition was associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes in both long- and short-haul drivers.ConclusionAustralian truck drivers report a high prevalence of multiple physical and mental health problems. Strategies focused on improving diet, exercise and preventing chronic conditions and psychological distress, that can also be implemented within the unique occupational environment of trucking are needed to help improve driver health. Further research is needed to explore risk and protective factors that specifically affect health in both short-haul and long-haul drivers.

Validation of the F-DBQ: A short (and accurate) risky driving behavior questionnaire for long-haul professional drivers

Although the Driving Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ) remains the most known tool for assessing risky road behaviors among motor vehicle drivers, recent studies have raised several concerns on the specificity of both driving task conditions and behavioral repertory of certain segments of the driving population. Among them, long-haul (cargo) professional drivers constitute one of the “intensive driving” groups for which the existing adapted behavioral research tools are still very scarce. PurposeThe aim of the present study was to test and validate the F-DBQ (or “Freight Driving Behavior Questionnaire”), a short version of the DBQ adapted to the occupational driving conditions and typical road risk behaviors of freight drivers. MethodFor this cross-sectional study, a sample of n = 982 Spanish long-haul drivers with a mean age of 48.5 years was used, responding to a questionnaire composed of measures on road risk behaviors (DBQ), fatigue (Checklist Individual Strength – CIS and Need for Recovery Scale – NFR) and job stress (Effort–Reward Imbalance questionnaire – ERI). ResultsThrough competitive Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) with structural equation models, it was found that the F-DBQ has a clear dimensional structure, a fair goodness-of-fit, high factorial weights, internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity and an improved fit to long haul drivers’ working conditions. Also, both (general and work-related) fatigue and job stress have shown to have a significant role in explaining risky road behaviors of long-haul drivers. ConclusionThe findings of this study support that an abbreviated version of the Driving Behavior Questionnaire (the F-DBQ) can be used to assess traffic violations and errors among long-haul drivers, in consideration of their specific task-related conditions (that qualitatively differ from other groups of drivers), with potential implications on the enforcement of occupational and road safety research.

More Than Just "Stressful"? Testing the Mediating Role of Fatigue on the Relationship Between Job Stress and Occupational Crashes of Long-Haul Truck Drivers.

IntroductionRecent evidence consistently highlights the adverse work environment of long-haul professional drivers, whose task structure typically involves the performance of extensive shifts, driving under stressful working conditions. In this regard, job stress and fatigue – that are highly prevalent in this workforce – seem to play a crucial role in explaining this group’s negative traffic safety outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess whether work-related fatigue is a mechanism that mediates the relationship between job stress, health indicators and occupational traffic crashes of long-haul truck drivers (LHTD).MethodsThe data used in this study were collected from 521 Spanish long-haul truck drivers (97% males) from all 17 regions of Spain, with a mean age of 47 years.ResultsUtilizing structural equation models (SEM), it was found that work-traffic crashes of long-haul truck drivers could be explained through work-related fatigue that exerts a full mediation between job stress (job strain), health-related factors and traffic crashes suffered during the previous two years.DiscussionOverall, the findings of this research support that a) stressful working conditions and health issues of drivers have significant effects on traffic crashes, and b) fatigue is a mechanism relating stress-related factors and work-traffic crashes of long-haul drivers. This study highlights the need of stress- and fatigue-management policies and interventions, in order to reduce the crash risk of long-haul truck drivers.

Research on Airport Taxi Driver Decision Based on RBF Neural Network

Affected by the combination of different factors, taxi drivers leaving the airport will have different decision-making schemes. This paper establishes mathematical models to optimize the decision of airport taxi drivers and the optimization of passenger-carrying problems between taxis and passengers. First take Shuangliu Airport as an example, and take the number of taxis and the number of passengers in the data into the RBF neural network decision model. The results obtained are compared with the real data. Finally, the cyclic test shows the changes in taxi driver decisions is more dependent on the travel season, number of flights, and holidays. Then a taxi passenger model based on M/M/S is established. There are two arrangements for the two parallel lanes of the airport “ride zone”: the final solution is concluded that when the length of the boarding area is 50 meters, setting three “boarding points” has the highest total boarding efficiency. By introducing the average mileage division index of taxi drivers, the short- and long-haul taxi drivers are finally obtained after the optimized scheme. The returns have basically reached equilibrium.

Sleep misalignment and circadian rhythm impairment in long-haul bus drivers under a two-up operations system

ObjectivesThe objective of the study was to describe working and sleep conditions and to assess how sleep opportunities are associated with obtained sleep and alertness, in a sample of long-haul bus drivers working with a two-up operations system. MethodsMeasures of subjective sleep and sleepiness, actigraphy, circadian temperature rhythm, and psychomotor vigilance tasks were obtained from a sample of 122 drivers from Argentina. Variables were compared between high and low fatigue risk groups, which were formed using a median split of a fatigue risk score. The score was calculated based on drivers' total working hours, maximum shift duration, minimum short break duration, maximum night work per seven days, and long break frequencies. ResultsConsidering a standardized one-day period, sleep in the bus accounted for 1.9±0.1 h of total sleep (57±1% efficiency), sleep at destination for 1.6±0.2 h of total sleep (90±1% efficiency), and sleep at home for 3.8±0.2 h of total sleep (89±1% nap efficiency and 90±1% anchor sleep efficiency). In drivers exposed to high-risk working schedules, the circadian temperature rhythm was weaker (lower % of variance explained by the model) (22.0±1.7% vs. 27.6±2.0%, p <0.05) and without a significant acrophase. ConclusionsDrivers obtained a total amount of weekly sleep similar to the recommended levels for adults, but distributed at different locations and at different times during the day. High-risk working schedules were associated with disruption of circadian temperature rhythms. These results point out to the need of the implementation of shift-work scheduling strategies to minimize sleep misalignment and circadian desynchronization in long-haul bus drivers.

The moderating effect of long-haul truck drivers’ occupational tenure on the relationship between safety climate and driving safety behavior

This study aims to advance safety climate research by applying sociotechnical systems theory to investigate the moderating effect of occupational tenure (as an external influence) on the safety climate and driving safety behavior relationship. Safety climate research has largely focused on the internal work environment, but, from a systems perspective, long-haul truck drivers are highly influenced by the external environment of their organization because they are a distributed workforce. Although drivers are exposed to their company’s internal message that safety is important, their knowledge of the overall trucking industry and their experiences external to their company may interact with their perception of safety climate. The sample consisted of long-haul truck drivers from seven U.S. trucking companies. Results were consistent with those of prior research in that safety climate had a positive impact on driving safety behavior for long-haul drivers and safety behavior mediated the relationship between safety climate and near misses. Additionally, and unique to this study, driving safety behavior was less dependent on safety climate for drivers with longer occupational tenure compared to those with shorter occupational tenure, albeit with that moderator accounting for a small percentage of variance. Implications regarding examining safety climate and safety outcomes in the trucking industry, and also regarding external and internal organizational influences affecting safety climate, will be discussed.

Prudent diet is associated with low sleepiness among short-haul truck drivers.

The lifestyle of postindustrial society has undergone major shifts characterized by changes in demographic and epidemiologic profiles, eating habits, and job structures, with irregular working hours, particularly night shifts. The investigation of dietary patterns is of great importance for the discussion and devising of effective dietary strategies for shift and night workers in general, particularly in view of the increased sleepiness reported during night work. We aimed to determine the association between dietary patterns of Brazilian truck drivers and sleepiness levels, according to work shift. A cross-sectional study of 52 drivers (25 long haul and 27 short haul) at a freight company was carried out. This study entailed application of a structured questionnaire collecting sociodemographic, lifestyle, and nutritional status data. Assessment of dietary intake using a 24-h dietary recall and an evaluation of sleepiness by the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale were performed. The principal components of the diet were analyzed by factor analysis to derive dietary patterns. A linear mixed model was then applied to determine a model for sleepiness levels of the drivers as a function of dietary pattern, time of day, and work shift. Three intake patterns were derived: traditional, prudent, and Western. Associations of time of day (F = 23.629, P < 0.01) and shift type (F = 42.218, P < 0.01) on sleepiness were found. An association between diet and sleepiness was also evident, where the prudent pattern was associated with low sleepiness among short-haul truck drivers (F = 3.865, P = 0.02). The results of the present study revealed an association between dietary patterns and short-haul driving, in which the healthy pattern produced low sleepiness during the day. The sleepiness curve of long-haul drivers appears to have a flattening pattern, probably because of irregular working times.

Health and wellness of Canadian commercial motor vehicle drivers

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to solicit perspectives from stakeholders concerning health, environmental and operational challenges among Commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers in Canada (truck and bus drivers).Design/methodology/approachTwo focus groups and one interview were conducted with key industry, government and advocacy groups representing or working with CMV drivers. Perspectives pertaining to working conditions, health issues, driver recruitment and retention, and other key issues in the CMV sector were obtained.FindingsThe findings show that undesirable working conditions are primary issues that impact recruitment and retention, as well as health and wellness (H&W), and productivity of drivers in both the truck and bus sectors. Compared to our US counterparts, finding parking areas and rest stops were seen as a major issue for Canadian truckers (particularly in the north). Unfortunately, there is limited or out-dated information on drivers and companies in Canada. Stakeholders stated the need for more information from both carriers/companies and from drivers themselves (particularly long-haul drivers).Research limitations/implicationsThis study identifies gaps and key priority research areas pertaining to the H&W of the CMV sector in Canada that require further investigation.Originality/valueCMV drivers are considered a vulnerable sector of the population. While drivers themselves have reported on undesirable work conditions leading to poor health, prior studies have not assessed the awareness or perspective of stakeholders involved in the CMV sector. This is the first study to capture stakeholder perspectives of the working conditions and health outcomes of CMV drivers.

A Descriptive Study of Musculoskeletal Injuries in Long-Haul Truck Drivers: A NIOSH National Survey.

Long-haul truck drivers are significantly affected by musculoskeletal injuries with incidence rates 3.5 times higher than the national average. Yet, little is known about injuries that affect long-haul trucks drivers. In 2010, interviewers collected data from 1,265 long-haul truck drivers at 32 truck stops across the United States. These surveys were analyzed to describe all self-reported musculoskeletal injuries. Injuries to the arm (26.3%) and back (21.1%) were the two areas most reported in the survey. Musculoskeletal injuries were most often caused by falls (38.9%) and contact with an object or equipment (33.7%) resulting most commonly in sprains/strains (60%). This large scale survey highlights the significance of musculoskeletal injuries in long-haul truck drivers and suggests the need to develop interventions to prevent injuries and improve recovery once injuries occur.

Predicting fruit and vegetable consumption in long-haul heavy goods vehicle drivers: Application of a multi-theory, dual-phase model and the contribution of past behaviour

Fruit and vegetable intake is insufficient in industrialized nations and long-haul heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers are considered a particularly at-risk group. The aim of the current study was to test the effectiveness of a multi-theory, dual-phase model to predict fruit and vegetable consumption in Australian long-haul HGV drivers. A secondary aim was to examine the effect of past fruit and vegetable consumption on model paths. A prospective design with two waves of data collection spaced one week apart was adopted. Long-haul HGV drivers (N = 212) completed an initial survey containing theory-based measures of motivation (autonomous motivation, intention), social cognition (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control), and volition (action planning, coping planning) for fruit and vegetable consumption. One week later, participants (n = 84) completed a self-report measure of fruit and vegetable intake over the previous week. A structural equation model revealed that autonomous motivation predicted intentions, mediated through attitudes and perceived behavioural control. It further revealed that perceived behavioural control, action planning, and intentions predicted fruit and vegetable intake, whereby the intention-behaviour relationship was moderated by coping planning. Inclusion of past behaviour attenuated the effects of these variables. The model identified the relative contribution of motivation, social cognition, and volitional components in predicting fruit and vegetable intake of HGV drivers. Consistent with previous research, inclusion of past fruit and vegetable consumption led to an attenuation of model effects, particularly the intention-behaviour relationship. Further investigation is needed to determine which elements of past behaviour exert most influence on future action.

ДОКАЗАТЕЛЬСТВА ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТИ И ФУНКЦИОНАЛЬНОЙ НАПРАВЛЕННОСТИ СПЕЦИАЛИЗИРОВАННОГО ПРОДУКТА В КЛИНИЧЕСКИХ ИСПЫТАНИЯХ

Aim. To perform clinical trials aimed to test effectiveness and functional properties of Energiya biologically active additive (BAA) in people exposed to high psychophysiological loads. Materials and Methods. We conducted clinical trials of new formula of Energiya BAA which contains (mg per 1 tablet): peach leaf (extract) – 100; Rhodiola quadrifida (extract) – 75; zinc asparaginate – 45.5; zinc – 8.5; cystine – 30; ascorbic acid – 25; quercetin – 10; rutin – 10; grape seed (extract) – 5; copper asparaginate – 4.4; copper – 0.7; sodium selenite – 0.11; selenium - 0,05; cifrol-5 (antioxidant complex) – 200. Thirty five volunteers were recruited as participants among people regularly exposed to increased psychophysiological loads: physicians, nurses, teachers, and long-haul drivers. Subjects' diet was supplemented with two tablets of the specialized product per day. The control group comprising 35 participants of similar occupations did not receive any bioactive additives. Levels of lipid peroxidation products and free radical activity were assessed based on malondialdehyde concentration. Microcirculatory vascular disturbances were estimated by rheoencephalography. Quality of life was evaluated in accordance with a factor determining health-related restrictions of physical loads; patient-reported data were also used. Results. It was established that supplementing the volunteers' diet with specialized product reduced the levels of lipid peroxidation products and, thus, reversed the symptoms of microcirculatory disturbances with a simultaneous improvement of quality of life, which could be associated with stabilization of cell membranes and energy metabolism, prevention of oxygen deficiency, and elimination of unfavorable oxidative processes. In the control group such positive changes were not observed. Conclusion. Using BAA Energia as a dietary factor normalizes the microcirculatory function, contributes to overall rehabilitation, and improves the quality of life affected by high psychophysiological loads.

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome among Iranian occupational drivers

AimsCompared with other members of a society, drivers are under more periodic and constant surveillance due mainly to this fact that their type of work requires them to spend most of their times in a sedentarily position. The recent survey had done to evaluate the prevalence of Met Syn among professional drivers in northeast area of Iran. Materials and methodsTo evaluate the prevalence of Met Syn among long-haul drivers, 1018 male drivers were studied. Definition of Met Syn was based on ATP III, IDF and AHA. The statistical tests were composed of chi-square and independent t tests. Results and conclusionThe participants’ mean age was 42.17±10.65 years. The prevalence of Met Syn according to ATP III, IDF and AHA criteria was 26.1%, 35.2% and 31.6% respectively. 6.6% of drivers were impaired fasting glucose. The drivers with the bus, minibus, taxi formed the greatest number of smokers (82.9%) among all drivers (p=0.023). The average of body mass index (BMI) was 26.2±4.06. The most prevalence of Mets according to IDF criteria were observed in drivers of heavy vehicles and also the ones of passenger vehicles, with 36.7% and 43.9% respectively. Based on high prevalence of Met Syn and other risk factors in this study, and considering these factors, should be more careful about this point. It is recommended to control risk factors such as, control of high BMI and TG, LDL, waist circumfernce, education.

Driver turnover research: exploring the missing angle with a global perspective

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate and contribute to the understanding of the critical issue of “driver turnover” in the USA long-haul trucking environment which is becoming a malaise in the transportation sector not only in the USA but also worldwide. Most importantly, it accomplishes this through an exploration of the perceptions of the “drivers” themselves regarding the external customer-base in the trucking industry. This, to the best knowledge of the authors, has not yet been done and so becomes the missing angle in focus on driver turnover research.Design/methodology/approach– This exploratory study employs a qualitative research methodology via in-depth interviews of a select sample of drivers in a field setting followed by content analysis of the responses. This methodology, by and large, is the most suitable for this type of exploration.Findings– A content analysis of the perceptions of drivers reveals several important reasons (or causes) for driver turnover. This paper elaborates on those and offers customer-centric solutions to alleviate the plight of the driver and improve overall performance in the trucking sector.Research limitations/implications– Needless to say, this exploratory research should be replicated in several other locations within the USA, other settings (e.g. trucking in extreme conditions), and other countries in order to enhance the external validity of the findings and recommendations.Practical implications– All implications of this research are practical as they have direct managerial significance.Originality/value– The value of this research lies in the fact that, to the best knowledge of the authors, this is the first study that explores the perceptions of long-haul drivers regarding the external customer-base of the trucking industry. The findings have direct implications for management in the trucking sector.

Work patterns, sleeping hours and excess weight in commercial drivers.

Work and sleep patterns for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers often include long working hours, shift work and diminished sleep duration and quality, which have been linked to overweight, obesity and other problems. To explore possible connections between work, sleep and obesity among CMV drivers. Survey and anthropometric data were collected from male long-haul CMV drivers in central North Carolina, USA, over a period of 6 months. Drivers' body mass index (BMI) was used as a measure of total body obesity and sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD) as a measure of central adiposity. Among the 260 study subjects, mean BMI was 33.1 (64% were obese or morbidly obese) and mean SAD was 32.3cm, classifying 89% of drivers as being at high or very high cardiometabolic risk. About 83% of drivers worked an irregular daily schedule, 64% worked irregular total daily hours, 32% worked irregular days of the week and 46% reported getting <7h of sleep during work nights. Significant predictors of BMI included the number of hours worked daily (P < 0.05) and the age (P < 0.01) of the driver, while age was also a significant predictor for SAD (P < 0.05). Significant predictors of sleep quality included the extent of shift work (P < 0.05) and sleep duration (P < 0.001). Work and sleep configurations appear to affect the weight status of CMV drivers. Shift work and sleep duration are both associated with the weight status of CMV drivers, and both appear to function as indicators of their sleep quality.

A systematic review of the sleep, sleepiness, and performance implications of limited wake shift work schedules.

The aim of this review was to identify which limited wake shift work schedules (LWSW) best promote sleep, alertness, and performance. LWSW are fixed work/rest cycles where the time-at-work does is ≤8 hours and there is >1 rest period per day, on average, for ≥2 consecutive days. These schedules are commonly used in safety-critical industries such as transport and maritime industries. Literature was sourced using PubMed, Embase, PsycInfo, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. We identified 20 independent studies (plus a further 2 overlapping studies), including 5 laboratory and 17 field-based studies focused on maritime watch keepers, ship bridge officers, and long-haul train drivers. The measurement of outcome measures was varied, incorporating subjective and objective measures of sleep: sleep diaries (N=5), actigraphy (N=4), and polysomnography, (N=3); sleepiness: Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (N=5), visual analog scale (VAS) alertness (N=2) and author-derived measures (N=2); and performance: Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) (N=5), Reaction Time or Vigilance tasks (N=4), Vector and Letter Cancellation Test (N=1), and subjective performance (N=2). Of the three primary rosters examined (6 hours-on/6 hours-off, 8 hours-on/8 hours-off and 4 hours-on/8 hours-off), the 4 hours-on/8 hours-off roster was associated with better sleep and lower levels of sleepiness. Individuals working 4 hours-on/8 hours-off rosters averaged 1 hour more sleep per night than those working 6 hours-on/6 hours-off and 1.3 hours more sleep than those working 8 hours-on/8 hours-off (P<0.01). More broadly, findings indicate that LWSW schedules were associated with better sleep and lower sleepines in the case of (i) shorter time-at-work, (ii) more frequent rest breaks, (iii) shifts that start and end at the same clock time every 24 hours, and (iv) work shifts commencing in the daytime (as opposed to night). The findings for performance remain incomplete due to the small number of studies containing a performance measure and the heterogeneity of performance measures within those that did. The literature supports the utility of LWSW in industries where individuals sleep at or near the workplace as they facilitate at least some sleep during the biological night and minimize deficits associated with time-on-shift with shorter shifts. Overall, the 4 hour-on/8 hour-off roster best promoted sleep and minimized sleepiness compared to other LWSW schedules. Nevertheless, and considering the safety-critical nature of industries which employ LWSW, the limited literature needs to be greatly expanded with specific focus on the consequences for performance and comparison to mainstream rosters.