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Apr 28, 2015

SAFETY TRUCKS * Australia: Drivers' fatigue avoidance

* ACT - Seeing Machines hails USA launch of driver fatigue monitor


  --  Seeing Machines has launched its fleet in-cab accident avoidance product for trucks and buses into the USA market... Using the company’s cutting edge DSS technology that tracks the eyes and face for signs of fatigue, the unit triggers an alarm and sends seat vibrations at the first sign of a driver losing concentration. The event is also logged centrally... So far the company has sold 4,000 of these systems to mining, road transport and bus customers in Europe, Australia and South Africa. Seeing Machines also has tie-ups with the truck maker Caterpillar and car safety firm Takata... Customers have praised the systems effectiveness, which has led to a minimum 71% reduction in fatigue and distraction related driving events... In the USA, fatigue and distraction are major problems. In 2012, large trucks were involved in traffic accidents that injured 104,000 people, and, according to an organisation called Fleetistics, the average cost of a wrongful death verdict for a trucking company is US$6.7mln...
(Photo: Dutch Bus Drivers To Test Fatigue)  --  Canberra, Australia Capital Territory, Australia - Proactive Investors, by Ian Lyall - April 27 2015 

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May 16, 2011

DRIVER'S FATIGUE * USA - "Statistic ‘not accurate’" report author says

An often-repeated statistic that fatigue is a factor in 30-40 percent of fatal crashes involving trucks is not accurate

Washington,DC,USA -Land Line, by David Tanner -11 May 2011:  ...   Speaking this week before the National Transportation Safety Board, research scientist Ron Knipling admitted he was at least partially responsible for the number being out there in the first place, but says it started as a “research note” in a larger report...  Knipling remarks came in response to a question from the Teamsters: “Is the 30-40 percent number accurate?”  -When the questioner asked the question for the third time, Knipling answered, “It’s not accurate” ...  OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer was seated next to Knipling on the panel, answering questions on a variety of subjects related to drivers and safety. During the discussion that followed Knipling’s remarks about accuracy, Spencer said fatigue is an issue in far fewer truck crashes than the number commonly cited...  Spencer told attendees matter of factly: “1.4 percent – that’s a hard number. You may not like it, but it’s a hard number” ...   (Image from mycarbudget:  Driver fatigue)


* USA - Ford’s wake-up call for Europe’s sleepy drivers

Auburn Hill,MICH,USA -HGV (UK) -May 12, 2011:  -- With thousands of accidents caused every year by tired drivers falling asleep at the wheel, Ford’s new Driver Alert safety system could prove to be a genuine life-saver...  Ford’s Driver Alert uses advanced technology and sophisticated algorithms to analyse driver performance and issues a warning if the driver shows signs of drowsiness or erratic steering...  The Driver Alert system comprises a small forward-facing camera connected to an on-board computer. The camera is mounted on the back of the rear-view mirror and is trained to identify lane markings on both sides of the vehicle...  When the vehicle is on the move, the computer looks at the road ahead and predicts where the car should be positioned relative to the lane markings. It then measures where the vehicle actually is and if the difference is significant, the system issues a warning...  (Photo from motoren: Ford Focus 2011 driver alert)

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Oct 16, 2010

TRUCKERS' FATIGUE * Australia - Extend bus fatigue laws to trucking: NatRoad

Governments should consider extending the bus industry’s fatigue management laws to the trucking sector so drivers can store rest days

Canberra,Australia -ATN, by Brad Gardner -October 5, 2010: ... Employer group NatRoad CEO, Bernie Belacic, has written to the National Transport Commission urging reform of the standard hours scheme for trucking... Truck drivers using the scheme are limited to 12-hour workdays and must have a 24-hour break after seven days or 72 hours of work... Bus drivers working under standard hours can store their rest days for 28 days or after 288 hours of work, at which point they take four consecutive 24-hour breaks... It applies to bus drivers who work low hours and take six consecutive rests between 10pm and 8am in a seven-day period... NatRoad wants the 24-hour rest requirement after 84 hours of work replaced with a provision allowing drivers to take a 48-hour break within a 14-day period (144 hours of work)... While fatigue experts have raised concerns about splitting rest breaks, NatRoad says drivers should have the right to separate them into two blocks in case they cannot find a suitable area to have a sustained rest... Currently, drivers can only use a split rest as a defence if they are accused of breaking fatigue management requirements. Furthermore, the break can only be split into one six-hour and one or more two-hour rests... He has supported changes to the definition of a night rest, which currently runs from 10pm to 8am. The NTC recommends amending it run from 9pm to 9am...

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Sep 29, 2010

DRIVERS' FATIGUE * Australia - Truck drivers pushed to the limit

A study reveal long-haul truck drivers are being pushed to the limit to make ends meet

Sidney,Australia -Supply Chain -September 29, 2010: ... The Transport Workers Union has been given the preliminary findings of a study, funded by WorkCover NSW, shows drivers are frequently forced to break driving regulations due to workload pressure... “Anne Williamson’s study (*) shows that drivers on long haul are working an average of 68 hours a week while a almost a third are breaking all driving laws and doing more than 72 hours a week,” TWU National Secretary Tony Sheldon says... “We also have only 25 per cent of drivers paid of waiting times, and almost 60 per cent of drivers surveyed are not paid for loading or unloading. This pressure adds up and that is why we are seeing 60 per cent of drivers admit to ‘nodding off’ at the wheel over the last 12 months” ... While the study is not due for release until later this year, the TWU is using it to reiterate its call for a new remuneration structure for the trucking industry... “Truck drivers have no guarantee of full-cost recovery as it is. We need a system of safe rates across the country, where drivers can get all costs back for rising charges and fluctuating fuel prices, otherwise we are going to see rising economic pressure cause further unsafe practices,” Sheldon says... Prime Minister Julia Gillard was due to release a paper in July from the Safe Rates Advisory Group outlining recommendations to reform pay rates... The authors of a 2008 study on pay rates, Professor Michael Quinlan and Lance Wright QC, criticised those who deny a connection between low pay and poor safety outcomes... (* Study by University of NSW Professor Ann Williams and Rena Friswell from the NSW Injury Risk Management Research Centre)

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Jun 30, 2010

DRIVERS' FATIGUE * USA - OOIDA vs. MN State Patrol: Hearing this week

State's Patrol arbitrary determinations of driver fatigue

Saint Paul, MINN,USA - Land Line Magazine -June 28, 2010: -- A hearing is scheduled Wednesday, June 30, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota as the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and several member plaintiffs pursue their case against members of the Minnesota State Patrol over unauthorized and unlawful out-of-service orders for driver fatigue... Captain Urquhart is Commander of the Commercial Vehicle Section and, according to OOIDA’s attorney Paul Cullen Sr., has been “an outspoken promoter of this misguided campaign against imagined fatigue”... Members of the Minnesota State Patrol were instructed to consider the presence of a TV, reading material, a cell phone – to name a few – as signs of fatigue... OOIDA’s investigations revealed that the enforcement program not only lacked medical or scientific justification, but also infringed on truckers’ constitutional rights... The lawsuit charges that drivers were denied their rights to a hearing on the out-of-service orders and that the regulation under which the orders were issued fails both to define fatigue and to establish a standard under which a driver would know when to stop driving... The state’s enforcement procedures – which lead to arbitrary determinations of driver fatigue – are challenged in the lawsuit on constitutional grounds; the lack of due process; and warrantless search and seizure... (Photo blogs.citypages: Minnesota's State Patrol vehicle)

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May 18, 2010

DRIVERS FATIGUE * Australia - Exploding truck death fatigue related

Wedderburn,VIC,Australia -ATN, by Samantha Freestone -May 17, 2010: -- A fatal truck crash that caused the vehicle to explode was believed to be caused by driver fatigue... The truck driver died when his B-double collided with a tree on the Calder Highway in the early hours of the morning. Diesel leaked, causing it to catch fire... Police say the 31-year-old man was travelling south near Wedderburn in Victoria when the truck crossed to the northbound lanes... Senior Constable Peter Bullock from Bendigo Police station says no brake marks were found on the road, which makes the case “appear” to be fatigue related... Bullock says the truck was empty and on its way to the sale yards when the crash occurred...

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May 5, 2010

Fatigue Laws * Australia - Older truck drivers fed up with

Sydney,NSW,Australia -ABC Rural -5 May 2010: -- The trucking industry claims older truck drivers are fed up with the new fatigue laws and are leaving the industry... Since the new laws were introduced 19 months ago, 10 per cent of older truck drivers have decided to quit... Executive director of the South Australian Road Transport Association, Steve Shearer, says the laws are too restrictive: "They are very complex, and can result in a truck driver tripping up over the rules" ... "Being a quarter of an hour for a rest break or working a quarter of an hour too long in a day can cost a driver up to $1000 in penalties" ... He says while the intent of the law is spot on, it's too complicated... The South Australian Road Transport Industry is calling for the South Australian and Federal Government for more rest stops to enable truck drivers to meet the current fatigue regulations... Mr Shearer says the shortage of workers means trucking fleets have been reduced... (Photo: Calder Woodburn Rest Area by BKK Architects, Australia)

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Dec 3, 2009

Truckers Fatigue * Australia - Industry wins on demerit points as changes announced

Sydney,NSW,Australia -ATN, by Brad Gardner -December 1, 2009: -- Drivers slugged with demerit points for fatigue management offences in NSW will have them removed, as the Rees Government announces plans to change fatigue regulations... In a rebuff to the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA), Assistant Transport Minister David Borger says many drivers penalised for breaches were trying their best to comply with the regime introduced in September last year... The RTA has been directed to send individual letters to all truck drivers who received demerit points to inform them they will be removed, while the industry will now have until January 1 before demerit points are imposed for offences... Those who lost their licence as a result of demerit points will also be free to get back behind the wheel of a truck...

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Nov 18, 2009

Drivers' Fatigue * USA - NTSB Chief Urges Fight Against

Hersman calls fatigue an 'insidious' problem throughout transportation

Washington,DC,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by William B. Cassidy -Nov 16, 2009: -- Fatigue “is one of the most insidious issues in the transportation industry,” and more must be done to fight it, said Deborah A.P. Hersman, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board... The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which has issued truck driver hours of service rules three times since 2003, plans to propose a new HOS rule early next year... Companies as well as government need to do more to address the issue, she said, noting that many businesses don’t have fatigue policies or procedures that allow tired employees to take time off... The NTSB also has recommended electronic onboard recorders be installed in all interstate commercial trucks to collect data on the number of hours they are operated and accident conditions...

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Oct 5, 2009

Trucker's Fatigue * USA - What are the Regulations?

Dallas,TX,USA -24/7 Press Release -October 4, 2009: -- A trucker's work day is tiring, even though he is seated at the wheel most of the time. Truck design has improved over the years so that seats are more comfortable, ventilation is better, and ergonomic principles have governed cab design... Limits on Continuous Work Hours - The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) determines work hours and conditions for truckers engaged in interstate commerce:

* The trucker may drive for 11 hours and work for as much as 14 hours (including non-driving work such as checking or adjusting loads, checking tires, filling the gas tank etc.) but then must take ten hours off.
* If a driver works for 60 hours in a seven-day period or for 70 hours in an eight-day period, he must then take 34 consecutive hours off.

Truck drivers are usually paid according to how many miles or hours they drive. That motivates them to work at, or close to, the maximum legal time allowed and a 50-hour work week is common.

Information that must be recorded for the FMCSA includes:

• Truck number
• Name of carrier and the main office address
• Date and time
• Total miles driven that day
• Name of co-driver
• Shipping document numbers
• Driver's signature to certify the truth of all entries

Failure to record this daily information makes the driver subject to prosecution... (Photo from manhattanoffender)

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Aug 10, 2009

Fatigue Prevention * Australia - And Management 2009 to include ten case studies

Collins,Melbourne,Australia -Safe to Work -10 August 2009: -- IQPC says the 2009 Fatigue Prevention and Management event has a new format, helping attendees develop and implement fatigue management and prevention strategies... Fatigue Prevention and Management 2009 is a one-day intensive event being held on 24 November 2009 at Novotel on Collins, Melbourne... According to the organisers, the event will provide ten case study perspectives on the problem of fatigue. These case studies will come from an array of industries, including rail, road, heavy vehicle, aviation and healthcare... Fatigue Prevention and Management 2009 will focus on hands-on strategies, building on the already existing prescriptive approach within fatigue management...

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Jul 17, 2009

DRIVERS' FATIGUE * USA - The Fatigue Checklist — Scant Science

Get a group of truckers together anywhere in this country, and Minnesota’s “Fatigued Driving Evaluation Checklist” is bound to come up

Roseville,MINN,USA -Transport Topics, by John Hausladen, President Minnesota Trucking Association -17 July 2009: -- The 75-item list gained national prominence when the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association sued the Minnesota State Patrol in federal court in an attempt to stop its use... OOIDA alleges the checklist violates basic civil rights, is open to broad interpretation and has no basis in science... Truck drivers from across the country comments opposing the checklist, which to them feels like just one more insult and invasion of privacy. Life on the road is tough enough without troopers asking if you read or watch TV during the 10 hours the government forces you to stay in your sleeper berth... Unlike previous legal challenges regarding untested technology such as Breathalyzers or radar guns, this is largely about human interpretation. The court cannot create the aforementioned confidence, clarity and consistency we will need to address the federal fatigue mandate. That will be left to regulators, law enforcement and the trucking industry working together to develop a verifiable, science-based standard for assessing fatigue that not only will work on the roadside but also will be an invaluable training tool for carriers and drivers... (Photo from emercedesbenz: Mercedes Developing Fatigue Warning System)

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Jul 11, 2009

Drivers' Fatigue * Sweden: Eye-Tracking Could Warn Drowsing Drivers

Stockholm,Sweden -The Engineer (UK), by Siobhan Wagner -19 June 2009: -- Stockholm-based Tobii Technology, has developed a device that tracks a person's eye movement using an infrared light, the first embedded eye-tracking device on a single chip. The device could be used for numerous applications, including detecting drivers who are becoming too tired to drive, medical diagnostics, and gambling. By installing the device on a vehicle's steering wheel or dashboard, the device could monitor whether the driver's eyes stay alert. The eye-tracking data can be combined with other data, such as vehicle speed and steering-wheel movement, to determine if the driver should be alerted or urged to stop. The embedded eye-tracking device is about the size of a chocolate bar, and is the smallest version of Tobii's eye-tracking technology... (Photos from wpcontent.answers/wikipedia: Eye movements of drivers)

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Jul 1, 2009

Road Accidents * UK - Fatigue related

More than six million British motorists narrowly escaped adding to the thousands of fatigue related road accidents that occur each year, after admitting they'd fallen into a slumber while driving in the last 12 months

London,UK -HGV (Ireland) -1 July 2009: -- The research from Kwik-Fit found that 10% of motorists felt 'drowsy whilst driving' and a further 3% said they'd been on the verge of falling asleep behind the wheel... Sleepiness is proven to reduce the reaction, vigilance, alertness and concentration abilities needed to drive safely. It also impairs the speed at which information is processed and so affects the quality of decision-making. Ultimately it increases your chances of having an accident... Drowsy drivers shouldered most of the responsibility for their tiredness themselves - with 41% blaming the monotony of the journey for their stupor. Indeed according to the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University driver fatigue causes up to 20% of accidents on 'monotonous' roads. A further 39% cited a general 'lack of sleep' and 32% blamed too few breaks on their journey... Worryingly, with a scorching summer now upon us, 15% of drowsy drivers blamed 'stifling in car temperatures' for their fug. This is perhaps not surprising, given that the research also found that 89% of motorists have never had their air conditioning unit recharged. Most manufacturers recommend that - in order to cool the car efficiently - air conditioning units should be recharged every two years... (Images by jedihonor: The long and lonley road. Miles of this stuff...)

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May 15, 2009

TRUCKERS' FATIGUE DEBATE * USA - OOIDA sues Minn. patrol

MINN,USA -eTrucker, by Jill Dunn -14 May 2009: -- The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has sued the Minnesota State Patrol over what it calls an “arbitrary enforcement program” to declare truckers fatigued and place them out of service... State patrol spokesman Andy Skoogman said the patrol had not yet responded to the suit... OOIDA members filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota on behalf of truck drivers placed out of service and sometimes fined after they allege patrol officers arbitrarily concluded they were fatigued... These drivers were denied their hearing rights on the out of service orders, OOIDA contended. Further, the regulation under which the orders were issued does not define fatigue or establish a standard under which a driver would know when to stop driving...

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Feb 6, 2009

FATIGUE MONITORING * USA - Board presses for mandatory devices in trucks

Washington,DC,USA -Today's Trucking (CAN) -5 Feb 2009: -- The National Transportation Safety Board recommended this week that the DOT explore making several heavy-duty vehicle safety technologies mandatory, including fatigue monitoring systems... The recommendations come in response to an October 2005 accident on I-94 in Wisconsin where a tractor-trailer rolled over and a motorcoach ran into the wreckage... Four passengers and the bus driver had fatal injuries, and 35 other passengers were injured... The investigation revealed that the truck driver was fatigued and fell asleep at the wheel... Possible technologies that could have helped in this instance, the NTSB noted, included lane departure warning systems, driver monitoring systems such as PERCLOS (which measures the rate of eyelid closure), and electronic onboard recorders...

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Aug 26, 2008

TRUCKERS' FATIGUE * Australia - Push on for new Nhill truck stop

The trucking industry says there is a critical need for a new truck stop to be built on western Victoria's major highway

Melbourne,VIC,Australia -ABC Regional Online -26 Aug 2008: -- The Australian Trucking Association has lodged a list of 18 sites across the country where it would like new stops built... One of the sites identified is between Nhill and the South Australian border, which is a notorious fatigue zone... The association's Bill McKinley says new laws being introduced next month makes giving drivers good rest stop facilities more important... "The 18 that we've listed, including the one near Nhill, are in our view the absolute minimum that the industry needs to cope with the introduction of new fatigue laws. So yes, it's right up there in the top category of priorities," he said...


* Transport industry urged to attend new laws information sessions

Parkes,New South Wales,Australia -Parkes Champion Post -25 Aug 2008: -- Local Independent State MP Dawn Fardell has urged members of the heavy vehicle industry to attend the second round of information sessions - including one in Parkes - into the new national heavy vehicle legislation due to come into effect later this year... Mrs Fardell, who has been critical of the proposed changes, said it was vital the industry was properly informed about how the legislation would be applied and enforced... Under the new legislation every party along the transport chain must take reasonable steps to prevent driver fatigue. The industry will have a choice of three fatigue management schemes to allow for greater flexibility...

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Jul 30, 2008

TRUCKERS' FATIGUE * Australia - Fatigue management transition for South Australia

S.Australia -ATN -30 July 2008: -- South Australia is following Queensland’s lead by implementing a transition period to new fatigue management regulations as well as relaxing its enforcement strategy... Although the laws will be introduced on September 29, operators will have a six-month exemption from changed driving hours. This means drivers using standard hours will still be allowed to drive for 12 hours and work for two hours... Under the new regulations, drivers are limited to a 12-hour workday... The Rann Government is also extending the Transitional Fatigue Management Scheme (TFMS) from six to 12 months. Those resigtered under the TFMS are allowed to drive for longer hours.The South Australian Road Transport Association (SARTA), which campaigned hard for the transition periods, says the Government’s decision will give operators more time to adjust to the new regulations...

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posted by Unknown @ 6:53 AM  0 comments

DRIVERS' FATIGUE * USA - Fatigue major problem in trucking industry

Roanoke,VA,USA -WSLS -July 28, 2008: -- Daphne and Steve Izer lost their 17-year old son, Jeff, when a trucker fell asleep at the wheel and swerved into his car. Jeff and 3 of his friends lost their lives that day back in 1993. And since then—the Izer’s say the federal government has not done enough to take on the problem. The Izer’s tell that fatigue has been named the number one problem in the trucking industry. The Izer’s formed “Parents Against Tired Truckers” soon after their son was killed. It has become a national organization based out of Northern Virginia. It aims to bring the fatigue issue to the forefront. The Izer’s say the problem is fueled by the bottom line—trucking companies and their truckers don’t make money unless the wheels are turning. That means they will often sacrifice sleep to move the load they’re carrying... (See Video)

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Mar 18, 2008

DRIVERS' FATIGUE * USA - Blue LEDs to reset tired truckers' body clocks

Eerie blue LEDs in truck cabs and truck stops could be the key to reducing accidents caused by drowsy drivers, say US researchers

New York,NY,USA -New Scientist (London,UK), by Max Glaskin -18 March 2008: -- ... They say bathing night drivers in the right light can increase their alertness by resetting their body clocks... The scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York, are testing blue LEDs that shine light at particular wavelengths that convince the brain it is morning, they say, resetting the body's natural clock... That could help reduce the number of accidents that occur when people drive through the night. Nearly 30% of all fatal accidents involving large trucks in the US happen during the hours of darkness, according to a recent report by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, while fatigue causes half of all truck accidents in the early hours on UK motorways...

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