Truck Driver Fatigue

Truck driver fatigue is defined as the exhausted, sleepy, or tired feeling a driver experiences while operating a commercial motor vehicle.  Truck drivers work very long hours, face unrealistic deadlines, and have to meet tight rigorous schedules.  Because of this fact, truck driver fatigue is one of the main reasons why truck accidents occur in the United States.  Truck driver fatigue can severely impair the judgment of an individual who is behind the wheel of a commercial motor vehicle.  It is particularly dangerous because one symptom includes the decreased ability to evaluate their own level of fatigue. 

Truck drivers that fail to have an adequate period of sleep or who stay awake longer than the conventional 16-17 hours will suffer sleep deprivation.  Sleep deprivation increases the effects of fatigue and that can lead to reduced performance.  The Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) has determined that adequate period of sleep for a truck driver is seven to eight hours within a 24-hour period.  Sleep deprivation accumulates as the period without sleep is extended and is superimposed on circadian rhythm effects.  Breaking the necessary daily sleep pattern into two shorter periods rather than one single unbroken period may cause additional sleep deficit. 

Symptoms vary between drivers, but may include:

• Yawning
• Poor Concentration
• Tired or Sore Eyes
• Restlessness
• Drowsiness
• Slow Reactions
• Boredom
• Feeling Irritable
• Missing Road Signs
• Difficulty Staying in Proper Lane

Data gathered by the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the General Estimates System (GES), which is maintained, by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) demonstrates that 8.15% of all truck-involved crashes where due to driver fatigue.  The study also showed that most drivers who were involved in fatal fatigue-related accidents were males.  During the 4-year span of the study, 82% of fatal fatigue-related accidents involved men.
The NHTSA, FARS, and the University Of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) gathered data on the relative risk per hour of sleep deprivation in fatigue-related truck accidents.  The study found that for every hour of sleep deprivation the chances of a truck driver being involved in an accident increase. 
According to the study, after:

• One hour of driving there were 102 fatigue related accidents out of 10,412 = 0.98%
• Two hours of driving there were 94 fatigue related accidents out of 5,947 = 1.58%
• Four hours of driving there were 68 fatigue related accidents out of 3,028 = 2.26%
• Eight hours of driving there were 48 fatigue related accidents out of 1,668 = 2.88%
• Eleven hours of driving there were 9 fatigue related accidents out of 94 = 9.57%
• Twelve hours of driving there were 10 fatigue related accidents out of 115 = 8.70%
• Thirteen hours of driving there were 8 fatigue related accidents out of 32 = 25%

It is important to note that truck driver fatigue is not simply a function of time spent driving, but it also relates to many other factors including hours since the driver last slept (hours of wakefulness) and time of day or night.

Have you or someone you know been involved in a truck accident due to truck driver fatigue? If so, contact one of our experienced truck accident lawyers in your area today!

Updated: KE

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Have you or someone you know been involved in a truck accident due to truck driver fatigue? If so, contact one of our experienced truck accident attorneys in your area today!