If you are a truck driver who spends hours upon hours driving throughout eastern North Carolina, you probably know firsthand that keeping alert becomes more difficult the longer you have been awake. Being able to effectively and safely operate your vehicle and deliver freight in a timely manner, means you need to operate your truck at maximum capacity and stay alert.
When you feel drowsy because you have not had enough rest, your efficiency could be compromised and operating your truck could not only put your life at serious risk, but also those around you could be at risk. Protocols should be implemented by you, or your employer, to encourage drivers to get enough rest, as well as provide the time and resources necessary to help you and other drivers recuperate between hauls.
REPORTING AND TRAINING
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, your employer should provide you with the proper training, information, and resources to help you recognize and manage signs of fatigue. Statistics and role-playing may be used to help illustrate the importance of getting enough rest and staying alert.
Employers often implement ways for their drivers to report behaviors while they are on long trips. Trucking logs can often provide insight into whether or not a driver has spent enough time resting between hauls or shifts. Since these details have to be reported to your employer, they could help motivate a driver to get more rest between hauls so they can avoid reprimands and penalties for violating company policies.
MONITORING AND FEEDBACK
By monitoring driver’s performance, an employer may decide whether or not making changes to your schedule could help improve your ability to perform your job at a higher level. Feedback about your experiences and how you feel about rest times between shifts and/or hauls, should be encouraged by your employer. Implementation of technology such as lane assists and wristbands that can detect fatigue could be used to help improve driving experiences and prevent you from driving while you are too tired.
If you’ve or a loved one has been injured in a trucking accident, you should contact the law offices of Hardee, Massey & Blodgett, LLP. Our attorneys can help you decide if driver fatigue was a factor and if you have grounds for any legal action. Give us a call at 252-378-2525.