Dart Transit sought government approval for a plan to test whether its drivers could operate safely and with less fatigue under a more flexible work schedule and a comprehensive fatigue risk management program.
Many trucking executives complain about the federal hours-of-service regulations. Dart Transit is doing something about them.
In June, the Eagan, Minn.- based truckload carrier asked the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to exempt 200 of its owner-operators from the rules’ 14-hour clock and split-rest limitations – provided they abide by a comprehensive fatigue risk management system that Dart would implement. On Nov. 26, FMCSA published a notice of the exemption request in the Federal Register, seeking comment by Dec. 26. (For a copy of the notice, Dart’s application and other documents, go to www.regulations.gov and search FMCSA-2007-0056.)
“The purpose of this is to reduce driver fatigue by implementing a scientifically validated, risk-informed, performance-based fatigue risk management system,” says Gary Volkman, Dart’s vice president of safety and compliance. Dart believes the program will increase safety; improve the health, lifestyle and retention of drivers; and improve customer service. “What we want is a rested driver behind the wheel,” Volkman says. “But we want a little more flexibility around when he gets that rest.”
At the heart of Dart’s request is a fatigue risk assessment of its operations conducted earlier this year showing that the 14-hour clock and the 2005 changes in split-sleep rules have interfered with drivers’ ability to obtain quality nocturnal, or nighttime, sleep. For further support, Volkman cites a study released this year by the American Trucking Associations and sleep research firm Circadian Technologies.
The requirement to stop driving after the 14th hour often penalizes drivers who stop to take a nap or sleep for less than eight hours – even when this opportunity occurs at night and is sensible for reducing fatigue, Dart argues. And Dart believes the requirement that split rest be taken in blocks of at least eight hours and two hours encourages drivers who have been on duty at night to try to obtain all or most of their sleep during the daytime hours when they are least likely to obtain sleep that is of good quality or long duration.
As just one example of the unintended consequences, Volkman points out that drivers who are approaching a major metropolitan area during rush hour might be better off taking a break for a few hours, continuing on and completing their rest that night. But under current regulations, stopping could mean running out of hours before the driver can continue, so drivers just keep moving through stressful congestion.
