United States Department of Transportation
i
Motorcoach Driver Fatigue Study 2011
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2012-12-01
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[PDF-1.08 MB]
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TRIS Online Accession Number:01493364
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Abstract:Eighty-four commercial motorcoach drivers participated in a month-long study of duty start time, total duty time, total sleep time per 24 hours, with sleepiness, fatigue, and performance measured as they were going on and off duty. Drivers worked their normal schedules of duty and rest for the average 31 days of participation. Drivers wore a wrist-watch actigraph to measure continuous sleep/wake history and kept a duty/sleep diary. They took a 5-minute psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) and rated their fatigue and sleepiness going on and off duty. The aim of the study was to determine motorcoach driver duty hours, sleep time, fatigue, and performance while operating within the limits of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration motorcoach hours-of-service regulations. Motorcoach drivers actively working as drivers, fit to drive by their company’s standards, and who volunteered to participate were enrolled. Drivers self-identified as driving for Charter, Tour, Regular Route, or Commuter Express operations. This was a sample of convenience. The sample was, on average, middle-aged, overweight, and predominantly male. From the data: 1) duty start times clustered in the morning; 2) average total duty time for duty days was slightly more than 9 hours; 3) average total sleep time per 24 hours was in the range of 7 to 9 hours, with less sleep during on-duty days and more sleep during off-duty days. During on-duty days, longer total duty times were associated with shorter sleep. Drivers performed worse on the PVT and reported increased sleepiness and fatigue at the end of a duty period relative to the beginning. These findings were in the context of an estimated average of 43 hours on duty per week. Thus, drivers in the sample on average started work in the morning, worked approximately 9-hour days, and slightly more than a 40-hour week, and obtained satisfactory amounts of sleep. On average, drivers did not push the limits of the hours-of-service regulations.
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