Driving while fatigued or exhausted is a dangerous choice. Motorists can fall asleep at the wheel if they are too tired to stay focused. They could also potentially make mistakes in judgment because of how fatigue affects cognitive processes. It may take a driver longer to make the right choice when they are too tired to drive safely. Fatigued driving is a common hazard on the roads, and some drivers are more likely than others to get behind the wheel while feeling exhausted.
Commercial transportation professionals often drive for multiple hours consecutively. Do those who cross paths with semi-trucks on the road have to worry about drivers being too exhausted to operate their vehicles safely?
Rules can only restrict professional drive time
Some companies don’t put the health and well-being of their workers first when making decisions. Instead, a focus on profitability and efficiency. Some transportation companies might demand that drivers stay out on the road for as long as is necessary to get a load in on time.
Commercial drivers could be at risk of very unhealthy work schedules if their employers had total control over how long their shifts lasted. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recognizes fatigue as a serious concern in the commercial transportation sector. In an effort to promote public safety and prevent abusive employment practices, the FMCSA has enacted Hours of Service rules.
Drivers have to limit how long they are on the road on any given day. The rules also require certain breaks and limit how long they can drive over a seven-day or eight-day period. Electronic logging devices make it easier to identify overt violations.
However, there’s no guarantee that a commercial driver rests when they are not on the schedule actively driving. They may have a commute to and from work. They may also have a family that puts demands on their time.
Truck drivers can also develop medical conditions, like sleep apnea, due to their largely sedentary jobs. Such conditions can impact the quality of sleep that they get and increase their risk of falling asleep at the wheel. The unfortunate reality is that even at the beginning of a shift, a truck driver might already feel exhausted. They usually don’t have the luxury of calling in sick just because they are tired.
When people believe that fatigue may have contributed to a commercial vehicle collision, they may be able to pursue compensation through insurance claims or a personal injury lawsuit. Proving that unsafe driving contributed to a crash can help people demand accountability afterward.