Dangers of truck driver fatigue highlighted in new research

Truck driver fatigue is regarded as a serious safety hazard and a leading factor in road crashes in the Australian road transport industry. Since 2014 most Australian states have enforced truck driver fatigue regulation via restrictive work hours.

Despite the implementation of these control measures, truck driver fatigue remains a safety issue, exacerbated by inconsistent regulation between the organisations and functionaries tasked with its management.

This study presents the findings from semi-structured interviews conducted with law enforcement officers (LEO) and transport regulation agents (TRA) to determine factors that influence their intentions and behaviours regarding the enforcement of truck driver fatigue (TDF) regulations. Ajzen, 2005 Theory of Planned Behaviour was used to examine the factors that enable or disenable TDF enforcement, and how different perceptions within and between these cohorts often lead to inconsistent enforcement outcomes.

Six main themes emerged from the study:

1) Limited foundational training affects practice knowledge,

2) Limited practice knowledge undermines confidence and enforcement actions,

3) Use of discretionary powers may mask skill gaps,

4) Competing occupational demands constrain TDF enforcement,

5) Exposure to TDF incidents reinforces enforcement practice

6) Self-motivated field learning positively affects knowledge and practice skills.

The findings from this study offer original insight into a previously under-researched area regarding the factors which affect the enforcement of truck driver fatigue laws in Australia. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369847825001330