McCartt Anne T, Hellinga Laurie A, Solomon Mark G
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Arlington, Virginia 22201, USA.
Traffic Inj Prev. 2008;9(3):201-10. doi: 10.1080/15389580802040287.
Federal rules regulate work hours of interstate commercial truck drivers. On January 4, 2004, a new work rule was implemented, increasing daily and weekly maximum driving limits and daily off-duty requirements. The present study assessed changes in long-distance truck drivers' reported work schedules and reported fatigued driving after the rule change. Associations between reported rule violations, fatigued driving, and schedule as well as other characteristics were examined.
Samples of long-distance truck drivers were interviewed face-to-face in two states immediately before the rule change (November-December 2003) and about 1 year (November-December 2004) and 2 years (November-December 2005) after the change.
Drivers reported substantially more hours of driving after the rule change. Most drivers reported regularly using a new restart provision, which permits a substantial increase in weekly driving. Reported daily off-duty and sleep time increased. Reported incidents of falling asleep at the wheel of the truck increased between 2003 (before the rule change) and 2004 and 2005 (after the change); in 2005 about one fifth of drivers reported falling asleep at the wheel in the past month. The frequency of reported rule violations under the old and new rules was similar. The percentage of trucks with electronic on-board recorders increased significantly to almost half the fleet; only a few drivers were using automated recorders to report rule compliance. More than half of drivers said that requiring automated recorders on all large trucks to enforce driving-hour limits would improve compliance with work rules. Based on the 2004-2005 survey data, drivers who reported more frequent rule violations were significantly more likely to report fatigued driving. Predictors of reported violations included having unrealistic delivery schedules, longer wait times to drop off or pick up loads, difficulty finding a legal place to stop or rest, and driving a refrigerated trailer.
Reported truck driver fatigue increased after the new rule was implemented, suggesting that the rule change may not have achieved the goal of reducing fatigued driving. Reported violations of the work rules remain common. Because many trucks already have electronic recorders, requiring them as a means of monitoring driving hours appears feasible.
联邦法规对跨州商业卡车司机的工作时间进行规范。2004年1月4日，一项新的工作规定开始实施，提高了每日和每周的最大驾驶时限以及每日休息要求。本研究评估了新规定实施后长途卡车司机报告的工作时间表变化以及报告的疲劳驾驶情况。研究了报告的违规行为、疲劳驾驶与时间表以及其他特征之间的关联。
在新规定变更前（2003年11月至12月）以及变更后约1年（2004年11月至12月）和2年（2005年11月至12月），在两个州对长途卡车司机样本进行面对面访谈。
新规定实施后，司机报告的驾驶时长大幅增加。大多数司机报告经常使用新的重新开始规定，该规定允许大幅增加每周驾驶时长。报告的每日休息和睡眠时间增加。2003年（新规定变更前）至2004年和2005年（变更后），报告的在卡车驾驶时睡着的事件有所增加；2005年约五分之一的司机报告在过去一个月内在驾驶时睡着过。新旧规定下报告的违规频率相似。配备电子车载记录仪的卡车比例显著增加至几乎占车队的一半；只有少数司机使用自动记录仪报告遵守规定情况。超过一半的司机表示，要求所有大型卡车上配备自动记录仪以执行驾驶时长限制将提高对工作规定的遵守程度。根据2004 - 2005年的调查数据，报告违规更频繁的司机报告疲劳驾驶的可能性显著更高。报告违规行为的预测因素包括交货时间表不切实际、装卸货物等待时间更长、难以找到合法的停车或休息地点以及驾驶冷藏拖车。
新规定实施后，报告的卡车司机疲劳情况有所增加，这表明规定变更可能未实现减少疲劳驾驶的目标。报告的违反工作规定的情况仍然很常见。由于许多卡车已经配备了电子记录仪，要求将其作为监测驾驶时长的一种手段似乎可行。
