In particular, NIOSH’s Center for Motor Vehicle Safety used the first issue of this newsletter to revisit findings from personal interviews conducted in 2010 with 1,265 long haul truck drivers – which the agency said comprises the “majority” of the 1.7 million people employed as heavy- and tractor-trailer truck drivers in the U.S. – at 32 truck stops across the U.S.
On average, long-haul truck drivers work 60 hours per week and drive more than 107,000 miles per year.
More than one in 3 had at least one truck crash at work during their career.
73% of long-haul truck drivers perceived their delivery deadlines as “unrealistically tight,” which may be an incentive for risky driving behaviors such as speeding (4.5% often and 26% sometimes), hours-of-service violations (10% often and 27% sometimes), and continuing to drive despite fatigue, bad weather, or heavy traffic (24% often and 47% sometimes).
14% of long haul truck drivers said they sometimes or never wore a seatbelt.
38% reported receiving inadequate training at the beginning of their careers.
5% of long haul truck drivers reported at least one non-crash injury involving days away from work in the previous 12 months; among company drivers, 68% of these non-crash injuries involving days away from work were not reported to employers.
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