Having a regular work schedule is important for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it gives a person a better opportunity to get sufficient sleep. But some jobs simply don’t afford workers the chance to get rest when their bodies really need it.
Over-the-road truck drivers are under constant pressure to get their cargo delivered on time. And to do so, they often keep irregular hours and spend long, uninterrupted periods behind the wheel. Federal regulations may require that they make regular stops for rest and sleep, but this is not necessarily a guarantee against fatigue.
First, a driver who is facing a tight deadline or who wants to make as many stops in a week as possible may simply ignore the regulations. And even if they obey the regulations, it can still be difficult to unwind and get in a healthy sleep session while they are not on duty.
The fact is, fatigue is a major problem among truck drivers. In a survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, 15 percent of truck drivers stated that they had at least one near miss or serious incident due to not getting enough sleep. This translates to more than one out of every seven drivers surveyed.
Sadly, it’s not surprising when it turns out that a serious truck accident is caused due to truck driver fatigue. And if you or a family member should be involved in a truck accident and you believe driver fatigue may have been responsible, you may want to have an experienced truck accident attorney handle your case. The attorney can investigate the accident and secure the driver’s log and other records to determine the liability of the driver and the company for which he or she was working when the incident occurred.