FMCSA offers chance for involvement in HOS driver restart study

March 17, 2015
Would you like to have an impact on the hours-of-service regulations? The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is recruiting truck drivers and carriers willing to participate in a driver restart study. This study will measure and analyze the fatigue and safety performance levels of drivers who take two nighttime rest periods during their 34-hour restart break compared to those who take less than two nighttime rest periods during their restart break.  

Would you like to have an impact on the hours-of-service regulations? The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is recruiting truck drivers and carriers willing to participate in a driver restart study.

This study will measure and analyze the fatigue and safety performance levels of drivers who take two nighttime rest periods during their 34-hour restart break compared to those who take less than two nighttime rest periods during their restart break.  

Drivers will be paid for their participation and carriers may be compensated for lost revenue due to the study and for the cost of installing data collection equipment on their trucks. During the study, participants will drive their normal revenue-producing routes.

The Driver Restart Study will compare data from five months of driver work schedules to assess the following:

  • Safety critical events.
  • Operator fatigue and level of alertness.
  • Driver health.

The findings should help improve FMCSA’s knowledge of driver fatigue and alertness management. The study team will monitor driver compliance on a daily basis. Participating drivers will be required daily to complete one or more three-minute alertness tests.

Every driver may be required to maintain sleep/wake logs, record caffeine intake, and report sleepiness during the study. Drivers will be asked to complete a survey about their experience upon completion of the study.

For more information on the study, please visit the official Restart Study website for complete details: https://restartstudy.com/