Fatigue training program for commercial vehicle drivers launches new site

The North American Fatigue Management Program, designed help reduce fatigue among drivers of commercial vehicles, launched its website this week.

The NAFMP website includes a return-on-investment calculator, which is intended to let users estimate the monetary benefits of implementing the NAFMP, either in its entirety or select components in a customized program.

NAFMP offers fatigue management training for drivers, executives, shippers/receivers and dispatchers. It also includes information on sleep disorder screening and treatment.

The training includes 10 learning modules on topics such as safety culture, sleep disorders management, driver scheduling and driver education.

NAFMP partners include the American Transportation Research Institute, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Transport Canada, Alberta Motor Transport Association, Alberta Occupational Health and Safety, Alberta Transportation, Alberta Workers Compensation Board, Commission de la sante et de la securite du travail du Quebec and Societe de l’assurance automobile du Quebec.

The NAFMP program was developed through several tests. The second phase was comprised of an evaluation involving six fleets and 38 drivers in Alberta and Quebec. The third phase involved testing with 77 commercial drivers in Alberta, Quebec and California. 

A separate study conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in the U.S. found that in collisions involving cars and trucks, 9% of car drivers were found to be asleep at the wheel, compared to 1% of truck drivers. The study, dubbed Large Truck Crash Causation Study (LTCCS), compiled data from investigations into 221 crashes from 2001 until 2003. LTCCS was quoted by the American Trucking Associations in different study it released last February, titled Relative Contribution/Fault in Car-Truck Crashes.