The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is looking for truck drivers and carriers willing to participate in an hours-of-service driver restart study.
The congressionally mandated study is to be completed during a one-year suspension of the hours-of-service restart provision.
The research 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 with those taking less than two nighttime rest periods during their restart break.
Drivers will be paid to participate, and carriers may be compensated for lost revenue due to the study and installing data collection equipment on their trucks, FMCSA said.
Participants will drive their normal revenue-producing routes.
The study will compare data from five months of driver work schedules to assess safety-critical events, operator fatigue and alertness levels, and driver health.
The study team will monitor driver compliance on a daily basis, and drivers will be required to complete one or more alertness tests daily.
Drivers also will be required to maintain sleep and awake logs, record caffeine intake, report sleepiness and complete a survey when the study is completed.
Drivers, too, will be asked to complete a survey about their experience.
