Truck Driver Fatigue

Truck driver fatigue is one of the most dangerous problems are U.S. roadways. A drowsy driver in a passenger vehicle is bad enough, but what if the vehicle weighs upwards of 40,000 pounds? Sleepy truck drivers are the last things anybody wants on roads in Mississippi and across the country. 

We already know that drowsy driving can reduce alertness and have similar impacts to a person’s ability to drive as impaired driving. Worse still, drowsy driving can lead to truck drivers falling asleep at the wheel. These are the accidents we see where truck drivers run off of roads or veer into oncoming traffic and there was never any evidence of braking.

Drowsy Truck Driving

Drowsy truck driving is a problem for a number of reasons. First, sleepy drivers aren’t hitting on all eight cylinders, so to speak. We need our truck drivers to be alert, aware and paying attention to the roads. The impacts of being drowsy have even been likened to the impacts of alcohol impairment in driver’s reaction times and alertness. If we don’t want truck drivers drinking behind the wheel, we certainly don’t want them being sleepy behind the wheel. A drowsy truck driver isn’t paying his or her full attention to the task of driving and is putting other roadway users at great risk for injury-causing and potentially deadly accidents.

Truck Drivers Asleep at The Wheel

One of the most dangerous issues with truck driver fatigue and drowsy driving is falling asleep at the wheel. Even crashes involving smaller passenger vehicles with drivers who have fallen asleep at the wheel can be devastating and deadly, but what truck drivers in incredibly large, heavy commercial vehicles? What if they’re hauling hazardous or flammable materials? Truck driver fatigue can very easily lead to falling asleep behind the wheel. A passed-out truck driver in a run-away rig can inflict nearly unimaginable amounts of damage.