Sleepy Truckers Prompt Fed Wake-Up Call

3 Years After Deadly Crash, Panel Recommends Technology That Would Keep Truckers Alert

(AP)  Trucking companies should work harder to enforce that their drivers get rest, and the government should move toward mandating the use of alarm systems to alert exhausted truckers, a federal board recommended.

While drivers are ultimately responsible for getting enough rest, trucking companies and the government should also make the nation's roads safer by studying fledgling technology that would keep drivers alert, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.

The board hearing, held in Washington, D.C., and streamed live on the Internet, was held in response to an early-morning crash in western Wisconsin three years ago in which a bus carrying a high school band slammed into an overturned semitrailer, killing five people.

NTSB investigators concluded that the truck driver fell asleep at the wheel and began to drift off the interstate's shoulder. When he swerved back onto the road, the rig overturned. The bus then plowed into the truck.

Some technology still in the early stages may eventually prevent such fatigue-induced crashes, NTSB investigator Jana Price told the board.

For example, a dashboard-mounted camera that tracks a driver's eye and eyelid movements could alert a driver who appears to be falling asleep.

"That can be useful since drivers are often unaware of their own fatigue," she said.

Tiredness is a factor in about one in eight large-truck crashes, Price said.

The Wisconsin crash occurred around 2 a.m. on Oct. 16, 2005, on Interstate 94 near Osseo. The NTSB found that the brakes on the bus had not been properly maintained, but said that poor visibility meant the bus driver couldn't have avoided the rig even if the brakes were in ideal condition.

Bus driver Paul Rasmus was among the dead.

The driver of the semi, Michael Kozlowski, of Schererville, Ind., was not seriously hurt. Last year, a jury acquitted him of negligent homicide, causing great bodily harm by reckless driving and causing injury in the crash.

Kozlowski's lawyer, Daniel A. Haws, said his client was simply driving too fast when he tried to pull over to relieve himself. The defense blamed the crash on Rasmus, claiming he was overtired and didn't see the overturned truck because of vision problems.

NTSB investigators said their research suggested that Kozlowski did fall asleep. Onboard equipment indicated the truck left the road at a gradual angle without slowing, and witnesses reported seeing the truck drift, investigator David Rayburn said.

Haws said the NTSB's arguments had been dismissed by the jury in the criminal trial.

"The evidence they use to say he fell asleep, the jury heard the exact same thing and said they didn't believe it," he said.

Kozlowski was on a 430-mile trip to haul groceries for Whole Foods Market Group. The crash occurred after he traveled about 320 miles from Munster, Ind., to St. Paul, Minn.

Records show that Whole Foods gave Kozlowski sufficient time to rest between assignments, but the NTSB said Kozlowski had not filled in his log book as required for five days before the crash.

NTSB board member Debbie Hersman proposed that Whole Foods Market Group be asked to implement a comprehensive fatigue-education program for its drivers. The board approved the proposal.

Whole Foods spokeswoman Libba Letton said the company couldn't comment because of the pending litigation.

The NTSB also called upon the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to step up enforcement of trucking companies, making sure their record-keeping is up to date and drivers are being given adequate time to rest.

Investigators also debated the use of technology designed to warn of impending collisions and automatically engage the brakes. They discussed concerns that automatic braking could interfere with the stability of large rigs, so the board recommended that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study the technology and mandate its use if it proves effective.

Price, the NTSB investigator, also discussed technology that detects when a vehicle is veering from its lane and alerts the driver with a light or an alarm. But some drivers complain that the alerts can be distracting, she said.

Even low-tech measures are effective. Price said studies found that rumble strips - textured strips of pavement that produce vibrations when a driver passes over them - reduced drift-off crashes by up to 60 percent.

[cyberus-2009]

*****
Recently, the state of Arkansas passed a law that truck drivers are not allowed to pull off on the shoulders of exit ramps and rest or stop for more than a few minutes. I believe it is 5 minutes. They will fine them for doing so and add points to their driving records. I have seen the truck stops on I-40 & I540 full to capacity. The next truck stop may be as much as 25-40 miles away and it may also full. So the drivers keep on driving trying to find a legal place to park and rest. Have the lawmakers created/added to the problem? I feel if they are going to enact laws like this, they need to expand the rest areas to accommodate more trucks.

Posted by shortyfudpuc
*****

Passing that law cost them nothing and they can point at how they improved road safety in the next few weeks before elections. Providing a place for truckers to stop to comply with the law would cost money and besides ... its not their problem.

I think it would be funny if truckers started driving AROUND Arkansas to avoid the issue ... wonder how many businesses would start screaming hey?

[ah8193]

I just want to comment on the fore mention case. I lave 20 miles from where the crash took place, and being a professional driver myself, I am so sick of that whole pathetic excuse for a trial. I as well as everyone else knows that male truck drivers have ways of "releiving" themself while driving, and anyone who was stupid enough to beleive his story about pulling over to do it, is dumb. Not only can they releive themself while driving, he had just passed a truck stop 2-3 miles back at Osseo. He is a murder and has given the trucking industry another black eye when we don''t need it.
I think that the government needs to get off their butts and get real. Really look at what we drivers do and make it safe for everyone. Enforce the rules they come up with and make EVERYONE accountable!!!

[painslapme]

ITS ALL THE ILLEGAL ALIENS SLEEPING, AND TAKING OUR JOBS AWAY TOO! THEIR BRIDGES FALL DOWN, THEY CRIPLE OUR SCHOOL AND GOVERNMENT INFRASTRUCTURE, AND NOW THEY RUN US DOWN WITH A 60,000 LB LOADED TRACTOR TRAILORS. WHEN DOES THE MADNESS END??

[afmca]

To really resolve this issue, society needs to look into a mirror. We want inexpensive products and trucking companies want high profits. Caught in the middle are the truckers that will either find themselves bankrupt or fired if they obey the law concerning hours and speed limits. If society allowed the truckers to set their rates based on real expenses and determine actual time to and from delivery points based on speed limits, rest stops, and safety then bwe could blame truckers. Otherwise putting the solution totally on their shoulders in blatently unfair!

[greygato]

Every day there are thousands of accidents by regular folks and nobody talks about the reasons why they get into accidents; only when there is a big rig accident the tired factor comes into place; for one the log book truckers use only takes into account one factor, and that is time, it does not take into account the miles that a trucker could drive per day; and that should be taken into account because it is an important parameter that should be included in the daily driving record of the truckers, this is a failure of the DOT(Department of Transportation), besides restricting the number of hours that a person could work( is he/she wants to work more) seems to be unconstitutional.
There are already to many rules and regulations for the professional, drivers, they should worry about regulating the banks, load brokers, stock brokers and insurance companies.

[greygato]

Every day there are thousands of accidents by regular folks and nobody talks about the reasons why they get into accidents; only when there is a big rig accident the tired factor comes into place; for one the log book truckers use only takes into account one factor, and that is time, it does not take into account the miles that a trucker could drive per day; and that should be taken into account because it is an important parameter that should be included in the daily driving record of the truckers, this is a failure of the DOT(Department of Transportation), besides restricting the number of hours that a person could work( is he/she wants to work more) seems to be unconstitutional.
There are already to many rules and regulations for the professional, drivers, they should worry about regulating the banks, load brokers, stock brokers and insurance companies.

[shimano35]

Why do we always pick on people with class a c.d.l."s
They go through lots of schooling to get those, not to mention they can be randomly stopped at anytime, or even get drug or alcohol tested at the place of their employment when their not in a vehicle. What about the average driver who is not subjected to any of this--Yes you, the driver with the good ole class c. The one who causes most of the commotion but is never talked about, The one who needs to be checked before they even get behind the wheel.

[consciousnes]

That was the bus drivers fault, not the truck drivers fault. Why pick on an industry that is already being penelized for simply having to buy unnecessarily expensive fuel. It cost less to make diesel fuel than gas. Why spend tax payers money to fund a study that everyone knows is true. People get tired when they drive a long time. There are already laws on the books to make sure truck drivers get the rest they need, enforce them.

[drinuk]

Fledgling technology BS ! In Europe every truck over 3ton is by law fitted with a Tachograph which records every mile, speed and time. Police and transport officials have the power to check trucks at random and read the tacho, those not adhering to speed or rest stops are fined heavily and in certain cases pulled off the road. It is inconceivable that in America we have little or no technology to prevent carnage on our roads. Four and a half hours continuous driving is seen as the maximum in Europe and no more than a ten hour driving day with a break of at least eleven hours in every twenty four. Maximum of a six day week. Freight companies are held responsible in law to submit records on each driver on a monthly basis, drivers can be fined upwards of $400 for each and every infringement per month.

The installation of Tachometers has reduced accidents by over 40%, the technology is there and should be implemented.

[shortyfudpuc]

Recently, the state of Arkansas passed a law that truck drivers are not allowed to pull off on the shoulders of exit ramps and rest or stop for more than a few minutes. I believe it is 5 minutes. They will fine them for doing so and add points to their driving records. I have seen the truck stops on I-40 & I540 full to capacity. The next truck stop may be as much as 25-40 miles away and it may also full. So the drivers keep on driving trying to find a legal place to park and rest. Have the lawmakers created/added to the problem? I feel if they are going to enact laws like this, they need to expand the rest areas to accommodate more trucks.

[tootall10142]

When i die i want to got like my grandfather in my sleep.Not screaming like the people in the back seat!