How well do truck drivers sleep in cabin sleeper berths?

The aim of this study was to evaluate the sleep obtained by livestock transport truck drivers while resting in truck sleeper berths during long-haul commercial operations. Operations were carried out in the very remote regions of Australia. The sample comprised of 32 drivers who wore wrist activity monitors and reported bed-times for a two-week period. Drivers had a mean (±standard deviation) age of 35.41 (±9.78) years and had worked as truck drivers for 13.83 (±9.11) years. On average, they obtained 6.07 (±1.18) hours of sleep/24-h period. The majority of sleep occurred at night, but drivers occasionally supplemented their main sleep with a daytime nap. Consistent with operational demands, drivers were most likely to sleep in cabin sleeper berths (n = 394, 77%). Only a small proportion of sleeps were sampled at home (n = 63, 12%) or at truck depots (n = 56, 11%). Mixed-model ANOVA revealed that while earlier bed-times at home yielded more sleep, there were only marginal differences in sleep quality across location. No intrinsic safety concerns associated with the use of sleeper berths were identified across consecutive days of long-haul transport operations.

► Truck drivers using truck sleeper berths obtained a mean 6.07 h of sleep each day.
► Most sleep was obtained at night, but main sleeps were often supplemented with naps.
► Minor differences in sleep quality were found between home, depot and truck sleeps.
► No intrinsic safety concerns were associated with the use of truck sleeper berths.