Casr report series

Effects remained at the 12 week follow up and in some cases progressive improvements were observed.

No increases in travel time were observed.

Members of a control group comparison used more fuel, changed gears more, and applied their brakes more often.

Safety benefits were inconclusive.

Other factors identified as having a significant influence on lateral performance include weather, lighting, and turn direction.

In Europe training and testing must receive national accreditation, however the details of this accreditation are not clearly spelled out.

Sweden places an emphasis on the accreditation of those providing training.

The Netherlands places emphasis on the examinations used to assess the results of training.

The same goal in four different countries has resulted in four different schemes.

Industry-wide acceptance of and adherence to recognised standards for minimum requirements for drivers and driver trainers.

Completion of training for 1st seat drivers.

Replace printed classroom materials and practices with multimedia instructional tools.

Expansion of the use of skid pads in driver training.

Integration of video and experienced driver testimonials to provide a realistic introduction/orientation to fitness to drive.

Mobile phone sub-tasks such as texting, dialling, and reaching for the phone were found to significantly increase the odds of involvement in a safety-critical event.

Perceived behavioural control had the largest direct effect on compliance with UK truck regulations.

Future interventions that seek to improve on-road behaviour or compliance with regulations require different approaches.

Drivers’ decisions to stay with an organisation were largely based on the compensation they received; carriers that paid better wages were more likely to retain drivers.

A driver’s driving history is an important factor with future crash involvement being predicted by past driver behaviours, particularly prior involvement in a crash.

Increased pay was also associated with a reduction in crashes, although the mechanisms for this interaction were the subject of speculation.

Safety management best practices were also important, particularly commitment to safety by management, employee involvement, prioritising safety through all aspects of operations, and making safety management a continuous process.

The preferred method of training involves a combination of classroom lectures and supervised driving, however these approaches do not incorporate many of the advances in adult learning and instructional techniques.

There is a tendency to use older experienced drivers as instructors, however there is no evidence that someone who is a job expert is necessarily a good teacher.

There is a lack of standards for measuring the effectiveness of driver training programs beyond simply how many graduates pass their CDL test.

The major reasons reported for not wearing a seat belt included stopping frequently, inconvenience, and not being safety conscious.

Other misconceptions, including the perception that wearing seat belts is dangerous, also contribute to low rates of compliance with seat belt laws.

There are a range of options to address better seat belt design that may help remove the perceived barriers to seat belt use.

4% of drivers reported wearing a seat belt all the time.

Drivers of rigid trucks were more likely to report using a seat belt compared to articulated truck drivers.

Reasons for not wearing: 35% indicated that seat belts were uncomfortable, 27% believed they had no safety value or were dangerous.

Reasons for wearing included safety or enforcement consequences.

An ergonomics assessment of the most commonly found seat belts in class 8 trucks was also undertaken.

The major complaints of drivers regarding seat belts were that the belt: rubs or vibrates against the neck or shoulder, locks, is uncomfortable, is too tight, and has a limited range of motion.

Drivers indicated seat belts would be easier to use if they were not too tight, did not interfere with driving, were easy to put on or off, and easy to position.

Ergonomic assessment indicated that the majority of seat belts were practical and functional; newer belts have features that make them more user friendly and older belts are not as effective with large- or small-statured individuals.

It was also found that drivers were not fully aware of the features that made seat belts comfortable and easy to use..

New technologies for seat belt comfort and design are also discussed.

Outlines the essential skills required for the trucking industry.

Drivers who did not meet or exceed the upper end of the reading text standard or the document use standard were 1.58 and 1.69 times respectively more likely to have been involved in a safety incident than drivers who met these standards.

Older drivers had poorer skills in each of the domains.

Drivers with more years of formal education had better skills in each of the domains.

None of the other medical conditions examined in the study had a significant effect on crash distributions.

Many of the risk exposure variables were also significant.

Of the driving measures monocular drivers did not perform as well as binocular drivers only in the aspect of sign-reading distance, a task that was correlated with binocular depth perception.

Monocular drivers are not significantly worse than binocular drivers in terms of the safety of most day-to-day driving tasks.

Increased rates of crash/fatality involvement were also observed for drivers aged 63 years or more.

Other factors contributing to HV crashes included long hours and sleepiness and fatigue, vehicle configuration (particularly multiple trailers), employer safety culture, urbanisation, and road classification.

Severe (1.5% of drivers) and very sever (1.8% of drivers) depression was associated with an increased risk of being involved in a crash or near miss in the past 28 days by 4.5 and 5 times respectively .

Given the number of HGVs and the prevalence of depression it is estimated that there are 10,950 HGV drivers with an increased statistical risk of a crash or near miss.

Health professionals: A focus on driving ability rather than disease diagnosis may require more professional judgement and input to the driver licensing authorities, but will improve the useability of the standards.

Drivers: A focus on function rather than diagnosis will facilitate a more relevant assessment of drivers.

Around 50% were smokers, 58% suffered from tiredness while driving and 56% slept less than 6 hours per day.

51% did not eat the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables.

53% reported chronic illness and 19% experienced a work-related injury requiring medical treatment in the past 12 months.

Companies rarely provided medical check-ups for their drivers.

25% of drivers were on medications and 7% were diabetic.

Drivers with the greater BMI also exhibited short sleep length.

Factors associated with obesity included sleep duration of less than 8 hours per day, being over 40 years old, glucose levels over 200, cholesterol levels greater than 240, snoring, and hypertension.

Short sleep duration and being over 40 years old is associated with obesity and a number of other health care problems.

Variables describing crash circumstances were also significant.

“Fit for the road” has had a positive impact on the lives of participants.

Work is needed to address wider systemic issues within the industry that may affect drivers’ health and well-being.

13% of truck drivers were found to have some degree of depression; 91% of these were not in treatment.

HGV drivers were also found to have substantial barriers to treatment.

Being divorced increased the odds of a driver being depressed or experiencing symptoms of anxiety.

27% of NSW truck drivers were identified as having the potential for hazardous or harmful alcohol use. 24% were considered mild and 1% were in the highest risk category.

Alcohol use was significantly related to anxiety levels.

Drivers aged 34-45 years old had an increased risk of hazardous or harmful alcohol use.

Being a casual HGV driver increased the odds of crashing when compared to full or part-time drivers. Mild to severe alcohol use also increased the risk of crashing.

Depression symptoms had the largest effect on risk of crashing or having a near miss.

On average NSW truck drivers work longer hours during the week compared to other Australian full-time employees. The number of hours a truck driver worked was directly related to increased stress levels.

12% of drivers indicated the use of a drug either daily or weekly. Drivers’ marijuana use was similar to that of the general population, however drivers’ use of all other drug types was found to be at least double that of population norms.

Drivers aged 25-34 years old or 65 years and older reported the highest levels of drug use in the past month.

Other risk factors for drug use were: being single, being an owner/operator long haul driver, and working more than 80 or less than 40 hours per week.

Appropriate well-designed interventions and evaluations are needed to clarify and rectify these issues.

There is some evidence that cardiovascular disease is caused in part by truck driving. The risk of cardiovascular disease increases with the length of time spent driving trucks.

Disruption of circadian rhythms may have a negative impact on the general health of workers and may influence gastrointestinal disorders.