Surveying the Impact of Work Hours and Schedules on Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Sleep

BackgroundGiven the long hours on the road involving multiple and interacting work stressors (i.e., delivery pressures, irregular shifts, ergonomic hazards), commercial drivers face a plethora of health and safety risks. Researchers goal was to determine whether and to what extent long-haul trucker work schedules influence sleep duration and quality.MethodsSurvey and biometric data collected from male long-haul truck drivers at a major truckstop in central North Carolina over a six month period.ResultsDaily hours worked (mean = 11 hours, 55 minutes) and frequency of working over government-mandated daily HOS regulations (23.8% “frequently or always”) were statistically significant predictors of sleep duration. Miles driven per week (mean = 2,812.61), irregular daily hours worked (63.8%), and frequency of working over the daily hour limit (23.8% “frequently or always”) were statistically significant predictors of sleep quality.ConclusionImplications of findings suggest a comprehensive review of the regulations and operational conditions for commercial motor vehicle drivers be undertaken.