Federal Regulators Seek Additional Volunteers for Restart Study

Federal regulators are seeking additional volunteer truck drivers for a 34-hour restart study due to a shortage of drivers from various industry segments.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is still looking to “round out” the number of volunteer participants across the varied industry segments, fleet sizes and types of operations existing in the trucking industry, agency spokesman Duane DeBruyne said on April 21.

Originally, the researchers were hoping to have recruited all the drivers by March 31.

The goal of the congressionally mandated research calls for a balanced sample of at least 207 drivers selected from small, medium and large carriers, and drivers from shorthaul, regional-haul and longhaul carriers, according to the study design.

In addition, researchers say they need a balanced sample of drivers from flatbed, refrigerated, dry van and tank industry segments.

The five-month study will include on-the-job research to compare fatigue and safety performance levels of drivers who take at least two nighttime rest periods during their 34-hour restart break to those who take one nighttime rest period during their restart break.

The study’s contractor, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, has been recruiting the drivers with assistance from trucking companies around the country.

Congress has suspended the restart provisions in the hours-of-service rule until Sept. 30, pending that FMCSA’s study of whether the rule bolsters highway safety. Under the suspended restart rule, drivers must take a rest break between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. on two consecutive days.

FMCSA has said it hopes to complete the study by the end of 2015.

Volunteer drivers for the study will be paid up to $2,166 for participating in the research. They will be required to drive a truck equipped with a camera facing inward and a camera facing the road to monitor driving patterns.

Drivers also must wear a wrist activity monitor, complete a five-minute health background survey and dedicate up to 30 minutes a day to complete sleep diary and caffeine log, perform smart-phone-based assessments and track hours-of-service using an electronic logging device.