Fatigued Driving

[Scuba]

Distracted driving should be getting more of our attention these days.

Last I checked there are laws for that making a new one is stupid wasn't it NJ that passed one last year where a cop can write you for distracted driving for almost anything. The cell phone one is stupid because it falls under distracted driving already all more dumb laws do is make someone feel good

 

[Scuba]

when I applied they told me I had to live with 65 miles from the DC

 

[Scuba]

the fact that Tracy Morgan was a passenger and not the driver of the vehicle that caused the crash what difference does it make?? He may have less injury's but the wreck still happened and he isn't the guy that died where the main charge comes from.

 

[TeamCaffee]

This is a pretty good article by the Chicago Tribune.

Truck safety help by listening to a little voice - chicagotribune.com

 

[cheri1122]

No one contends that EOBRs would have prevented this accident, because the driver had one, so how they can contend that it will prevent other accidents is just beyond me.
If anything, the EOBR reminding the driver of how much [or little] time is left is another stress to deal with, when the driver is fairly sure the time isn't enough to get parked. As I understand it, that's where this driver was, when the accident happened: not enough time left [on the 14 hours] to finish his route.
It would be interesting to know how many violations he'd incurred prior to the accident - maybe another would have threatened his employment.
I'm not defending his behavior, just pointing out that there's a reason Domino's quit promising pizza free if the delivery wasn't fast: too many circumstances are beyond the driver's control, and rushed drivers make bad decisions.

 

[Deville]

I recently read an article on the nj state police saying that they avoid patrolling the turnpike as it's too dangerous for their troopers
Also stated they only allow a trouper on it if they have at minimum 18 months highway driving experience ( I guess they specialize in side streets)

I would like to read that article. Link please.

 

[CharlesD]

I feel that I was safer driving a Sprinter and napping when my body needed to rather than when I was in a straight and could only sleep when the log told me to. I can't count the number of times I was on a load with enough cushion time to take a nap but couldn't because I couldn't "legally" take a 3 or 4 hour sleep break without running out of hours to finish the load.

 

[layoutshooter]

I feel that I was safer driving a Sprinter and napping when my body needed to rather than when I was in a straight and could only sleep when the log told me to. I can't count the number of times I was on a load with enough cushion time to take a nap but couldn't because I couldn't "legally" take a 3 or 4 hour sleep break without running out of hours to finish the load.

Very much the fault of bad regulations.

 

[T270_Dreamin]

I feel that I was safer driving a Sprinter and napping when my body needed to rather than when I was in a straight and could only sleep when the log told me to. I can't count the number of times I was on a load with enough cushion time to take a nap but couldn't because I couldn't "legally" take a 3 or 4 hour sleep break without running out of hours to finish the load.

This post should be sent to the FTA or USDOT

 

[cheri1122]

This post should be sent to the FTA or USDOT

Drivers have been telling FMCSA and DOT ever since they changed the split sleeper rule to require the first period be 8 hrs, [rather than 2] - nearly 10 years, and they have just ignored us.
Oh wait: they added a mandatory 30 minute break after 8 hours: another 'floating' deadline to comply with.

 

[zorry]

Drivers have been telling FMCSA and DOT ever since they changed the split sleeper rule to require the first period be 8 hrs, [rather than 2] - nearly 10 years, and they have just ignored us.
Oh wait: they added a mandatory 30 minute break after 8 hours: another 'floating' deadline to comply with.

Hey, maybe they should have some listening sessions, or something.

 

[BobWolf]

Don't get the wrong idea I'm not making excuses for the Wal-Mart driver but has anyone asked this yet?. What about the limo driver and his vehicle? I haven't heard anything about that.
Just for the drivers defense, because we who have delivered to Wal-Mart as well as other distribution centers know all too well, They like to forget that unlike China we in the USA still have labor, safety regulations, and some human rights. They force us to wait several hours past our dock time and when they have their freight, to bad we have to run illegal and or don't feel safe driving. we are told to GET LOST!!

Think about this.

Question?? What are the odds this wreck is a result of the driver not being able to take his restart when he was actually tired? anywhere from 1 day to several days prior to the wreck.
Scenario.. Lets just say this driver was exhausted to the point of hyper-secretion of Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, Serotonin, and Dopamine or as said in layman's terms over worked and running on adrenaline, AKA totally jacked up or stoked. This includes being in this state when he started his off duty status 10, 12, 24 hours wont do it he wasn't rested and probably didn't realize it.
And yes I've been that exhausted in the past pulling down 16 hour shifts for one to two weeks strait as a medic where you're so exhausted you're amped up and have to wait it out and don't sleep for three or four days, that is hell, then crash and burn. It takes several days to recover from the body being stressed.

Physiology lesson..Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, Serotonin, and Dopamine are extremely powerful neurotransmitters amongst other rolls in the body, add Cortisol to the mix and BANG its like running your truck on nitro-methane 250 HP becomes 2500 HP. They can give us that second wind to pull off that 11 hour ride, give us the fight or flee response, or result in serious problems. Often first timers don't realize the danger when this happens as you mentally check out.

Lets face it, we are all one split second from being in this drivers shoes, that inconsiderate distracted moron that cuts us off, that car we don't see coming over that hill when we cross or turn onto a road, or how about that ball that rolls into the street with a small child chasing it.

I'm grateful its not my turn and hope it never is.
Be safe.
Bob Wolf

 

[beachbum]

ELD in the truck or no ELD in the truck doesn't matter, driver would still have been at 13.5 hours at the time of the crash and still would have been in a hurry.

No one contends that EOBRs would have prevented this accident, because the driver had one, so how they can contend that it will prevent other accidents is just beyond me.
If anything, the EOBR reminding the driver of how much [or little] time is left is another stress to deal with, when the driver is fairly sure the time isn't enough to get parked. As I understand it, that's where this driver was, when the accident happened: not enough time left [on the 14 hours] to finish his route.
It would be interesting to know how many violations he'd incurred prior to the accident - maybe another would have threatened his employment.
I'm not defending his behavior, just pointing out that there's a reason Domino's quit promising pizza free if the delivery wasn't fast: too many circumstances are beyond the driver's control, and rushed drivers make bad decisions.