Lessons Learned:
Driver Fatigue: A Recognizable And Controllable Risk

By Frederick C. Clark, ARM
Vice President, Transportation Services

Driver fatigue is a major – and preventable – cause of highway accidents, according to the Department of Transportation. In fact, the Federal Highway Administration studied 3,169 fatal truck accidents that occurred in 1993. Of these accidents, 107 were analyzed for driver fatigue and 62 were determined to be fatigue-related.

While driver fatigue is a serious risk your company faces, the good news is that it can be controlled through education and scheduling. The first step is to recognize the reasons and motivations that cause fatigue1.

Drivers will often risk fatigue in an effort to maximize their paychecks or consolidate their hours of service. Human nature dictates that we try to excel and get the most out of life, and the temptation to skimp on sleep can be overwhelming. Some drivers are prone to push themselves to the limits of endurance, which can have potentially disastrous consequences. To prevent this potential for disaster, drivers should be educated in the types of fatigue, as well as their symptoms and consequences.

There are two types of fatigue – acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term). Acute fatigue is the feeling you experience after long periods of physical or mental strain. Work, study, sports, lack of sleep or driving can bring on episodes of acute fatigue. Reduced coordination and impaired alertness are symptoms of acute fatigue — both are potential problems for drivers. The only “cure” for acute fatigue is adequate sleep, regular exercise and a nutritious diet.

Without adequate rest between periods of acute fatigue, the condition can progress to chronic fatigue. It may strike during a series of “compacted” driving schedules, when the maximum number of permissible driving hours is arranged with only eight hours off between runs. The sleep deprivation becomes cumulative, further degrading physical performance. In fact, the driver’s mental state also deteriorates to the point where impaired judgment leads to unwarranted risk-taking.

Clearly, the consequences extend far beyond psychological and physical impairment. Uncontrolled driver fatigue can result in accidents, injuries, deaths and significant financial loss to your company. That’s why it makes good business sense to invest in safety and health training programs that educate drivers in recognizing and controlling risk factors.

Frederick Clark has a BS degree in Chemistry and over 30 years of experience in the safety, health and environmental field. He has gained expertise in many aspects of personal and fleet safety and loss control management. He serves the fleet safety needs and distribution-related needs of clients by providing training, assessments, risk analyses, and other loss prevention programs.

1 Fatigue can be a result of any number of sleep disorders which should be diagnosed and treated by a medical professional. This article discusses driver recognized and controlled fatigue.

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