Driver Fatigue & How You Can Combat the Problem
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- Driver Fatigue & How You Can Combat the Problem
You’ve got many challenges to face when working as an HGV driver in the UK and one that affects your ability to concentrate and in turn, stay safe the most is tiredness. Even when sticking to the rules in terms of driving hours, driver fatigue can still hit you, so it’s important to know how to avoid it.
In this article, we look at some of the tricks of the trade for staying alert and able to fully focus when behind the wheel. Pay close attention, as these tips could very much save your life and others using the road.
Understanding Driver Fatigue Is Crucial
What is driver fatigue exactly? Well, it’s tiredness of the mind and body and when it comes to professional driving, it has several causes. Insufficient rest, irregular work patterns and plain old hours driven can leave you with reduced reaction times and impaired awareness. Spotting the signs and understanding why it happens is the first step in ensuring it doesn’t happen to you.
As such, transport managers need to manage hours behind the wheel for their drivers, tailoring them to the specific schedules and needs of each individual. The plans made must include sufficiently regular breaks to prevent the accumulation of fatigue and potential burnout.
Using Tech & Training to Prevent Driver Fatigue
The good news is that wearable tech can be used to keep an eye on a driver’s alert levels, such as Fujitsu’s Driver Drowsiness Detector. These innovative devices are able to monitor a driver’s vital signs and provide real-time data, alongside telematics systems that ensure driving hours rules are complied with.
Awareness of the problem is easily avoided through regular training that focuses on reinforcing the real dangers that fatigue presents. These training sessions should also include an element of how daily lifestyle choices, such as diet and exercise can influence how tired people get when driving.
Mental health issues caused by stress and anxiety can also contribute to fatigue – something transport managers should be educating their drivers about, as well as providing resources and support for in a variety of ways.
Managing Schedules & Optimising Workloads
As the steward of the hours their drivers work, a transport manager needs to create driving schedules that include the required number of rest-stops for sufficient rest and recovery to be enjoyed. You may be under pressure to meet deadlines, but you’ve still got to fairly distribute workloads to ensure that no drivers are unduly burdened with too many hours.
Driver fatigue can also be combatted by investing in cabin equipment that makes working and resting easier. For instance, ergonomic seats and cabin mod cons like Satnavs and comfortable beds can make the job less taxing on the mind and body.
It also goes without saying that regular vehicle maintenance is needed for truck drivers to be as safe as they possibly can, but it also serves to provide a smoother ride and reducing the strain a person must go through.
Fostering a Culture of Openness About Fatigue
If a driver feels like they’ll be marked down for complaining about tiredness, you’re not going to create a culture where concerns are ever aired on the subject. As a company, you should have clear and obvious feedback channels through which drivers are able to express their worries.
Also, when this feedback is given over, it’s important to not just listen, but act, which means adjust workloads as necessary to rectify the problem.
Assessing Your Fatigue Management Setup
Creating an environment like this is not a setup and forget kind of thing, however, as you need to continuously monitor how you’re faring. As such, you need to regularly assess how your strategies are working to see if they need to be tweaked.
Even the best-prepared plans can be improved when you get real-world feedback, so be open to hearing about ways in which your approach can be enhanced.
Controlling Driver Fatigue with a Multi-Faceted Strategy
When you’re looking to prevent driver tiredness and the risks it brings, transports managers must employ a multi-faceted strategy that covers a range of aspects. Drivers need to be aware of the problem, complemented by training, supportive tech and the creation of an environment that encourages feedback.
By using this feedback and honing the way you do things on a regular basis, there’s no reason why you can’t actively address driver fatigue and keep your team safe.
