Driver Fatigue

Driver fatigue is one of the most common causes of truck crashes. Trucking companies and truck drivers are financially motivated to keep trucks moving at all times. The pressure to keep trucks constantly in service often leads to drowsy, inattentive drivers. Behind the wheel of large commercial trucks, drowsy drivers are a serious threat to public safety.

The former Federal Highway Administration conducted a study of driver fatigue covering 1994 to 1998. The study involved real revenue runs, 4 different driving schedules, 80 drivers, and more than 200,000 miles of highway driving. Numerous measures were taken of the drivers' alertness and performance during driving and of their physiology during off-duty sleep periods. Major findings included:

river alertness and performance were more consistently related to time-of-day than to time-on-task. Drowsiness episodes were 8 times more likely between midnight and 6 a.m. than during other times.

During their daily main sleep period, drivers slept for only about 5 hours, which was 2 hours less sleep than their "ideal" requirement of slightly over 7 hours.

Drivers' stated self-assessments of their levels of alertness do not correlate well with objective measures of performance. Drivers were not very good at assessing their own levels of alertness.

There were significant individual differences among drivers in levels of alertness and performance.

Federal regulations limit the number of hours truck drivers may stay on duty before resting. Truck drivers are required to keep a daily log to record their time as “off-duty”, “sleeper berth”, “driving”, or “on-duty, not driving”. At Clark Perdue, our Ohio truck accident attorneys understand the importance of obtaining and understanding the driver’s daily log. It may also be necessary to verify the accuracy of the driver’s log by comparing it to other records, including food and fuel receipts and GPS tracking data. At Clark Perdue, our truck accident attorneys have the knowledge to identify when truck driver fatigue plays a role in causing a truck crash – and they have the experience to prove it in court.

The law firm of Clark Perdue has extensive experience handling claims involving trucking crashes. If requested, we will meet you--in your home or at the hospital, if necessary--to explain your legal rights and make suggestions for immediate action. For a free trucking accident consultation, please call us, or send a confidential e-mail. We promise to respond promptly.

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