The incidence of psychological fatigue among drivers on New Zealand roads was unknown.
To assess fatigue levels in the trucking industry the research undertook a representative sample of 600 NZ truck drivers at ferry terminals, depots, & truck stops throughout NZ.
30% of drivers had exceeded their hours-of-service requirements (HSRs) at the time of testing (ranged from 0 to 47 hours of driving in previous 48 hours).
24% of drivers failed the psychomotor performance test
Daytime sleepiness & momentary fatigue measures indicated 25% of drivers with significant fatigue
Drivers’ failure rates mirrored crash rates
across industry segments
Predictors of fatigue:
Distance driven during average shift (27% failure rate for fewer than 250 km per shift)
Hours of sleep in past 48 hrs (28% failure for fewer than 10 hrs in past 48)
Driver age (34% failure for drivers over 37 yrs old) |
