Our day-to-day lives can be demanding, and with an increasingly 24/7 work culture, it is becoming more difficult to get proper rest before a long day at work. Fatigued driving can make the morning commute more dangerous, especially for commercial motor vehicle drivers that spend long hours on the road.
A full night’s rest can be life or death.
According to FMCSA, driver fatigue is a leading cause of CMV crashes, ultimately contributing to thousands of crashes every year. In 2023 alone, drowsing driving crashes resulted in 633 deaths. When looking at CMV crashes, 13% of drivers were considered fatigued at the time of their wrecks.
Although truck drivers are required to work long hours, often at any time of the day, getting rest must be a top priority to prevent facing the aftermath of driving tired.
Drivers often face legal consequences, including liability in accidents, large fines, and potential termination of employment. Multiple fatigue-related violations can lead to the suspension or revocation of CDLs. And oftentimes driving drowsily can cause severe accidents; fatigued drivers tend to misjudge distances, drive off the road or fail to react to sudden changes in traffic.
Some drivers may feel they must sacrifice their sleep to remain on schedule, but preventing fatigued driving and adhering to hours-of-service regulations are necessary to prevent accidents.
The Factors of Driving While Fatigued
There are three factors most associated with drowsy driving wrecks:
- They occur most frequently during times when people experience a dip in their circadian rhythm, which is the body’s internal process for regulating the sleep-wake cycle. These times are between midnight and 6 a.m. and in the late afternoon, usually between 2 and 4 p.m.
- They often involve a single driver, with no passengers, swerving off the road at higher speeds with no signs of braking.
- They mostly happen on rural roads and highways.
Studies have shown that drowsy driving is highly linked to circadian rhythms, which control the pattern of alertness in the body from day-to-day. Inadequate sleep can make the drowsiness experienced during the “lulls” in the sleep cycle stronger than normal, leading to greater effects on driving performance and alertness.
The FMCSA has found that alertness was linked more to the time of day than time on task. Circadian rhythms cause decreased vigilance at night, particularly after midnight. Combining this with extended periods of driving can enhance fatigue.
Furthermore, research into the correlation between driving-hours and the highest risk of safety-critical events concluded that these accidents are most likely to happen during the first hour of driving. This may be affected by sleep inertia shortly after waking up.
Sleep inertia refers to impairment while performing tasks, including issues with short-term memory, alertness, reaction time, cognitive functioning and ability to resist falling back asleep. This may be particularly prevalent for drivers who sleep in the sleeper berth of the truck.
Without proper rest, drivers can experience a variety of symptoms and issues. Some include slow reaction times, a cloudy mind and bad moods. In the long term, sleep deprivation can lead to weakening of the body’s defenses, increased risk of infections, high blood pressure and diabetes or obesity resulting from increased appetite and overeating. The development of sleep apnea can also result from obesity, making it even more difficult to ensure adequate rest while on the job.
For those driving CMVs for long hours, it is important to recognize the warning signs of driver fatigue. Watch out for frequent yawning, difficulty keeping your eyes open, trouble focusing, daydreaming, missing road signs, drifting across lanes or onto the shoulder, slower reactions and poor decision-making.
Tips for Preventing Drowsy Driving
It is important for truck drivers to get the optimum amount of sleep every day to ensure the safety of themselves and others on the roads.
The FMCSA’s hours-of-service regulations are meant to help prevent fatigued driving, requiring drivers to follow an 11-hour driving limit after 10 consecutive off-duty hours, 60 to 70-hour limits over seven to eight consecutive days and take mandatory half hour breaks after eight hours of driving. While it may feel important to continue driving, these regulations are in place to ensure safety.
Getting a proper amount of rest every day is the only true way to protect yourself and others from the risks that come with driving tired. This means it’s important to prioritize getting seven to nine hours of sleep every night.
Additionally, it is best to check medications to see if drowsiness is a side-effect. If that is the case, driving should be avoided if possible.
It may also be beneficial to avoid driving during the lulls in the natural sleep cycle. If it is difficult to stay alert and pay attention to street signs, you are too drowsy to drive.
Forming healthy sleeping habits begins with preparing for better sleep. Sleeping around the same time every day helps improve sleep quality. Regularly getting sufficient sleep will make it easier to fall asleep faster and stay asleep in the future.
One step to improving your sleep is creating a relaxing bedtime routine and a comfortable sleep environment. It is best to park with both quiet and safety in mind. Try to block out all light, keep the temperature of the sleeper cab or bedroom cool and make your sleep as comfortable as possible. Additionally, eating at regular times and going to sleep without an empty or overly full stomach can enhance sleep quality.
Overall, try to avoid the following before bedtime:
- Large or spicy meals two to three hours before bedtime.
- Liquids, particularly alcohol, which can cause disturbances in the sleep cycle.
- Caffeine (according to your tolerance), as it can affect your body for five or more hours. Plan your consumption to allow for proper rest.
- Stimulants, including nicotine.
- Light exposure from electronic devices. Studies have shown the light from devices can disturb sleep cycles.
When to Stop Driving
While driving, be aware of your body’s natural signs of sleepiness. Try to plan any stops and sleep breaks around the lulls in your natural sleep cycle. Be sure to take scheduled breaks every two hours or 100 miles to move your body and refresh. Another option is to use co-drivers when possible, allowing for more rest breaks.
Certain “alertness tricks”—such as smoking cigarettes or vaping, having caffeine, turning up the radio, rolling the windows down and other tricks—might make you feel more awake for a moment, but these are not effective ways to stay awake and maintain vigilance.
If possible, take a nap when drowsiness symptoms begin to set in. A short nap should be 10 to 45 minutes and is more effective at replenishing energy than coffee. Napping to prevent drowsiness is also better for maintaining driving performance than napping when already tired.
Ultimately, proper rest is vital to safe driving. When driving CMVs, try to set boundaries around your sleep. Explain to family, friends and dispatchers that sleep is paramount to safety. Make them aware of when you will be sleeping and ask them to minimize any disruption to your rest.
Wrecks Caused by Drowsy Driving
While it may feel necessary to drive through drowsiness, it risks the safety of yourself and everyone else on the roads.
If you or someone you know has been in an accident caused by a drowsy driver, reach out to Craig, Kelley & Faultless for a free consultation. Our 10 attorneys are experienced representing truck wreck victims in Indiana and across the United States.
We are committed to helping folks who have been injured on the road because of someone else’s negligence. We will fight for you.
Contact us today at (317) 434-3520 or through our website.
David W. Craig is a nationally recognized truck accident lawyer who sits on the Board of Regents of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys. He is board certified in Truck Accident Law. He is the managing partner and one of the founding partners of Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC. He is recognized as a Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyer and Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Indiana by the National Trial Lawyers, as well as a Top 50 Indiana lawyer by Super Lawyers. He was the recipient of the National Thurgood Marshall “Fighting for Justice” Award for his work helping victims of truck wrecks. David is the author of Semitruck Wreck, A Guide for Victims and Their Families, written to help people navigate a terrible situation by answering questions that come after a tragic wreck. He also hosts the podcast After the Crash, where you can gain valuable information about the dangers involving semis and large trucks that do not follow Indiana law safety protocol regarding speed, weather conditions, maintenance upkeep, etc.
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