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NEW
WORK RULE FOR TRUCKERS ISN'T IMPROVING SAFETY;
SURVEY SHOWS TRUCKERS DRIVE MORE, TIRED DRIVING
STILL PREVALENT
Arlington, VA — A new Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety survey indicates that
drivers
of interstate trucks spend more time behind
the wheel under a federal work rule that went
into effect in 2004. This new rule lengthens
the mandatory rest period by two hours but
lets drivers stay on the road an extra hour
every day. A work-week restart provision increases
allowable driving hours in a 7-day period from
60 to 77. A quarter of drivers who were surveyed
said they drive more than the new daily limit
of 11 hours. Eight of 10 drivers said they're
taking advantage of the restart provision that
allows them to drive 25 percent more in a week.
While
the drivers said their sleep time has increased
under the new rule, they reported
slightly more instances than the previous year
(when the old work rule was in effect) of driving
drowsy or falling asleep at the wheel. When
drivers were asked about dozing at the wheel
at least once in the past month, the reported
percentage increased from 13 percent (2003,
under the old rule) to 15 percent (2004).
"Studies show that fatigue is a significant
factor in truck crashes," says Anne McCartt,
Institute vice president for research. "The
new rule was supposed to improve safety, but
our survey shows the opposite. Truckers are
using the restart provision to squeeze even
more driving hours into the week."
Enforcement
of work hours has long been a problem because
written logbooks are easily
falsified. The survey shows this hasn't changed.
About a third of drivers said they sometimes
or often omit hours worked from their logbooks.
A proposal to include electronic onboard recorders
(tamper-resistant devices that can monitor
driving hours) was dropped before the new rule
went into effect.
"
Without electronic recorders the
rule can't be enforced effectively," McCartt
says.
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