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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors of this report would like to acknowledge the support of the stakeholders of the National Surface Transportation Safety Center for Excellence (NSTSCE): Tom Dingus from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, Richard Deering from General Motors Corporation, Carl Andersen from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA),...
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... limited number of cameras, all tractor-mounted, restricted the analysis to primarily those events occurring in front and at the sides of the instrumented vehicle. As shown in figure 4, the four camera images were multiplexed into a single image. A timestamp (.mpg frame number) was also included in the .mpg ...
Citations
... Fragmented and erratic work shifts, frequently disrupted circadian rhythms and insufficient sleep, sleep apnea (for which about 70% of long-haul truckers are at high risk), and other sleep disorders and consequential excessive daytime sleepiness , can have significant negative impacts on long-haul truckers' mental and physical health, thereby increasing the need for health-care services, and may even result in injury and death to self and others [7, 20, 38]. Within the transportation sector, truck drivers and driver/traveling sales workers had fatality rates of 22.1 per 100,000 workers in 2012, compared to only 3.2 per 100,000 workers for the general workforce during that same time period; further, heavy and tractor-trailer truckers account for 13 percent of all fatal occupational injuries [4]. ...
Long-haul truck drivers in North America function in a work context marked by excess physical and psychological workload, erratic schedules, disrupted sleep patterns, extreme time pressures, and these factors' far-reaching consequences. These work-induced stressors are connected with excess risk for cardiometabolic disease, certain cancers, and musculoskeletal and sleep disorders, as well as highway crashes, which in turn exert enormous financial burdens on trucking and warehousing companies, governments and healthcare systems, along with working people within the sector. This article: 1) delineates the unique work environment of long-haul truckers, describing their work characteristics and duties; (2) discusses the health hazards of long-haul trucking that impact drivers, the general population, and trucking enterprises, examining how this work context induces, sustains, and exacerbates these hazards; and (3) proposes comprehensive, multi-level strategies with potential to protect and promote the health, safety, and well-being of truckers, while reducing adverse consequences for companies and highway safety.
Motor vehicle accidents associated with commercial driving are an important cause of occupational death and impact public safety.
We summarise the evidence regarding the type, prevalence and impact of medical conditions discovered during health assessment of commercial drivers.
We conducted a systematic review of multiple electronic databases and made a manual search for relevant studies that enrolled commercial drivers in any country and reported the outcomes of health assessment carried out in the context of commercial driving through November 2012. Data were extracted by a pair of independent reviewers and synthesised using a metanarrative approach.
We identified 32 studies of moderate methodological quality enrolling 151 644 commercial drivers (98% men). The prevalence of multiple health conditions was high (sleep disorders 19%, diabetes 33%, hypertension 23% and obesity 45%). Some conditions, such as sleep disorders and obesity, were linked to increased risk of crashes. Evidence on several other highly relevant medical conditions was lacking. Cost-effectiveness data were sparse.
Several medical conditions are highly prevalent in commercial drivers and can be associated with increased risk of crashes, thus providing a rationale for health assessment of commercial drivers.
