Project Goal:

To Evaluate the effectiveness of the NAFMP in regard to: 1) educating truck and bus drivers to modify their behaviors to remedy various potential sources of fatigue, and 2) meeting the needs of drivers’ employers, including fleet managers, safety and risk managers, dispatchers, driver trainers, and other corporate officials.

Background:

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) commissioned the Committee on National Statistics, a component of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS)/National Research Council (NRC), to conduct a panel study to identify optimal research and statistical methodologies to better understand driver fatigue. This study assessed the large amounts of data already generated by onboard electronic monitoring systems and naturalistic driving studies. In its final report, NAS provided FMCSA with specific recommendations for future research. NAS recommendation #13 specifically suggests that the Agency evaluate “the effectiveness of the NAFMP for educating truck and bus drivers in how to modify their behavior to remedy various potential sources of fatigue” and determine “how effective the NAFMP training modules are in meeting the needs of drivers’ employers, including fleet managers, safety and risk managers, dispatchers, driver trainers and other corporate officials (e.g., those conducting carrier-sponsored employee health and wellness programs).”

Summary:

This project is a joint effort between the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and FMCSA. The research team will recruit a sample of large truck and bus drivers who have not completed the driver modules of the NAFMP. Driver health and safety metrics (e.g., sleep amounts/timing; weight; blood pressure; safety-critical events; subjective sleepiness levels; behavioral alertness) will be collected during a baseline phase (i.e., before drivers complete the NAFMP modules). Drivers and their carriers will also complete a baseline survey. Upon completion of the driver modules of the NAFMP, an intervention period will begin. Collection of driver health and safety metrics will continue during and after the intervention phase. Research questions to be addressed include: • Do drivers have improved safety performance after completing the NAFMP? • Do drivers’ sleep levels increase after completing the NAFMP? • Do driver fatigue levels decrease after completing the NAFMP? • Does driver health improve after completing the NAFMP? Following completion of the intervention phase, drivers and carriers will be asked to complete a post-study survey to assess their perceptions on the overall effectiveness of the NAFMP.

Contractor:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health