ATA, Research Firm to Study Sleeper-Berth Rule

merican Trucking Associations said it will join with a sleep research firm to study the effects of last year’s change to the rule governing truck drivers’ use of sleeper berths.

The partnership with Circadian Technologies will result in a report derived from a pair of surveys — one for a group of longhaul drivers and one for a group of “world-recognized” sleep and fatigue researchers, representatives of Circadian and ATA said.

“The drivers and many of the trucking companies have had a host of complaints about [the new rules],” said Martin Moore-Ede, chief executive officer of Circadian Technologies. “So the question is this: do the drivers’ complaints have merit scientifically?”