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 TimeWASHINGTON, 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.