Health and fatigue

An introduction programme for drivers of heavy motor vehicles

3.   Impact of work time on fatigue

Common transport industry work practices include:

• working long hours
• prolonged night work
• working irregular hours
• little or poor sleep and early starting times.

In practice, many truck drivers work 12 or more hours per day, of which at least 60 percent is usually spent driving. A working week of 70 hours is common practice for many drivers. These long hours of work often result in fatigue and increase the crash risk. In addition, these work practices may disrupt eating and sleeping routines and affect a driver's body rhythms or body clock cycle, leading to sleep debt. Once this level of fatigue is reached, the only solution is sufficient, good-quality sleep.

Important: The maximum number of hours that a driver can work in any cumulative work day is 13 hours. A driver must have at least 10 hours continuous rest between cumulative work days. The number of hours that a driver can work in any cumulative work period is 70 hours (before a minimum 24 hour rest break must be taken).

Page created: 22 January 2009