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Sleep Foundation Calls for New Commercial Drivers' Hours-of-Service Rules

24 February 2000

National Sleep Foundation Calls for New Commercial Drivers' Hours-of-Service Rules Based on Sleep Science; NSF Recommends '12/12' Duty Rule with Limits to On-Duty Time

    WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 -- Concerned about the number of fatigue-
related truck and bus crashes on the nation's highways, the National Sleep
Foundation (NSF) today released a position statement calling for new hours-of-
service rules for commercial drivers based on current scientific research
regarding sleep.
    Citing studies on fatigue, driving performance and fall-asleep crashes,
NSF is urging the Department of Transportation (DOT) to adopt a comprehensive
system placing responsible limits on driving within a 24-hour period and
mandating on-board monitoring and enforcement by compliance officers.  NSF's
position statement also calls for highway improvements, as well as sleep
disorder screening and comprehensive educational programs to reduce fall-
asleep crashes among commercial drivers.
    NSF emphasizes off-duty time as one of the most important factors in
regulating hours-of-service, and calls for a "12/12" rule. Specifically, says
NSF, new rules should limit drivers to 12 hours on duty followed by 12 hours
off duty, with one period of 9 continuous hours to be used for sleep.
    Under today's rules, a driver can drive and perform other non-driving
duties for up to 15 hours after having had a minimum of 8 hours off duty --
not enough time to get proper sleep and eat meals, travel to and from work,
and handle family and social obligations, NSF contends. In addition, those 8
hours can be split into two separate periods if the driver has a sleeper
berth.
    But research shows that crash risks increase as the number of hours on
duty increase, and that people who sleep in short periods or in environments
with excessive noise and light do not obtain adequate sleep. Sleep research
shows that most people need at least 8 hours of sleep to maintain proper
alertness. Yet a government study found that commercial drivers abiding by
today's hours-of-service rules generally obtain about 3 hours less sleep per
day than what humans need to function optimally.
    "Today's hours-of-service rules for commercial drivers have been in place
since 1938, when highway conditions were significantly different and when very
little was known about our sleep needs and the effects of fatigue on
alertness," says Anne McCartt, PhD, chairman of NSF's Transportation
Committee. "Given that we now know our biological clocks run on a 24-hour
cycle, with distinct periods where sleepiness naturally occurs, new
regulations must be based on a 24-hour clock, rather than the current system
now used."
    "Within the 24-hour cycle, sleepiness is most likely to occur between
midnight and 7:00 am and in the mid-afternoon between 1:00 and 4:00 pm,"
explains Mark Mahowald, MD, a sleep expert at the Hennepin County Medical
Center Sleep Disorders Center in Minneapolis, MN. "These biological factors
cannot be overridden to accommodate economic or other needs. To promote safety
on the roads, commercial driving regulations should be based on this 24-hour
cycle and allow additional time for drivers to get the sleep they need to be
alert."
    NSF cautions that hours-of-service rules alone cannot regulate driver
fatigue and alertness. "Ultimately, responsibility for managing fatigue must
be shared by drivers, carriers, shippers, receivers, and the government," says
McCartt. "That means establishing scientifically-based rules to set maximum
limits on driving time and consistently enforcing them."
    DOT has come under increasing fire from Congress and safety advocates for
the delay in proposing new rules and for not enforcing current rules.  As a
result of the delay, the President signed legislation last year creating the
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, tasked with reducing motor
carrier crashes.
    "All sides in the hours-of-service debate agree that new regulations must
be based on the most current scientific knowledge. But NSF -- which is led by
some of the nation's top sleep experts -- is uniquely qualified to provide an
objective evaluation of current scientific research and make appropriate
policy recommendations," says Richard Gelula, NSF's executive director. In
preparation for new hours-of-service rules, NSF is distributing its position
statement to hundreds of sleep experts and volunteers throughout the nation to
educate their local communities about this important health and safety issue.
    In NSF's yet-to-be released 2000 "Sleep in America" omnibus poll, 51% of
respondents said they had driven while drowsy during the past two weeks.
Fifty-three percent of respondents said they were concerned about the number
of hours that transportation workers drive. These statistics and others
regarding sleepiness, safety and productivity will be released on March 28, as
part of National Sleep Awareness Week 2000 (March 27-April 2).
    The National Sleep Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to
improving public health and safety by promoting public understanding of sleep
and sleep disorders, and by supporting sleep and fatigue-related education,
research and advocacy.  For a copy of NSF's position statement regarding
hours-of-service rules for commercial drivers or information about its DRIVE
ALERT ... ARRIVE ALIVE national campaign against drowsy driving, visit
http://www.sleepfoundation.org.