Australian transportation and logistics companies are well aware of the risks posed by heavy vehicle driver fatigue, and the vast majority will have strict fatigue management policies in place to ensure compliance with current laws.

Despite the supposed benefits of optimal work scheduling practices on driver fatigue, however, few studies have been conducted to determine how well these laws have been working.   

New study may provide evidence for future law reforms 

Recently, the National Transport Commission (NTC) and Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity (Alertness CRC) announced a joint study into the impact of Australia's Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) on heavy vehicle driver fatigue.

According to the NTC, the 18-month study will use latest alertness measurement technologies to assess driver sleeping patterns and drowsiness, both on the road while working and in a laboratory. The research is being generously supported by the Australian government and other financial contributors.

"Through our partnership with the NTC, and with the support of our other industry and academic partners, this project will facilitate the best research to support HVNL fatigue laws and deliver the safest outcomes for heavy vehicle drivers and operators," said Anthony Williams, CEO of the Alertness CRC.

Australian government a major supporter

This research could not have been undertaken without the generous support of the Australian government, which has committed $828,000 to the project. Other financial contributors include Transport for New South Wales, the Institute for Breathing and Sleep and Monash University.

Australian researchers are looking into the effectiveness of current heavy vehicle driver fatigue laws.

Around 80 people are killed each year in Australia while working in or around trucks, according to Safe Work Australia. Of these deaths, 39 per cent involve single vehicle truck crashes. Chair of Safe Work Australia, Ann Sherry AO, said the cause of many of these accidents are not established but fatigue and lack of concentration likely play a role.

Keep your drivers safe with vehicle telematics

Pinpoint's Advanced Vehicle Management (AVM) system, a cloud-based application that enables you monitor the location and status of your fleet in real-time, is easy to use and provides a host of benefits. As well as optimising fleet performance and productivity, it can be also be used to generate reports for driver fatigue management and behaviour compliance.

If you're keen to find out more about how your organisationcan benefit from vehicle telematics, please get in touch with us today.