Fatigue
Fatigue among professional drivers is now the norm on European roads, according to a new study by the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), the first EU-wide study in 15 years on driver fatigue in passenger and freight road transport. The report, based on a survey of around 3000 truck, bus and coach drivers found that: 60% of truck drivers and 66% of bus and coach drivers said they had to drive while fatigued on a regular basis; Nearly 800 drivers said they nearly crashed and caused […]
The EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has criticised the UK government for refusing to accept EU rules on working time and digital tachographs for UK lorries driving in EU Member States. He was speaking following the latest Brexit negotiations round earlier this month. Mr Barnier said allowing UK drivers to follow different rules would undermine the single market and be unfair to EU Member States. He underlined that the rules were important for road safety.
Some road transport companies have taken advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to further exploit truck drivers, degrade working conditions, health and safety across Europe, an investigation by a coalition of union organisations including ITF, the international road transport workers union, has found. The investigation revealed that transport companies are, in particular, exploiting the lack of checks and controls by enforcement authorities during the pandemic. A number of the concerning findings of the report directly impact on road safety including: Drivers being forced to rest, […]
A letter from ETSC to European Commission for Transport Adina-Ioana Vălean on prioritising transport safety during and after the COVID-19 crisis. Download the letter.
Lorry drivers should not be allowed to take their mandatory weekly rest in their vehicles, the European Union’s highest court has ruled. Under EU rules (2006/561/EU), drivers must have a daily rest period of at least 11 hours and a regular weekly rest period of 45 hours. The driver can choose to take their daily rest or a reduced weekly rest period in the vehicle only if it has suitable sleeping facilities and is stationary. A Belgian transport company brought a case in 2014 […]
Drivers on work-related journeys in France are more likely to engage in risky behaviours than those on private trips according to a report by Axa, an insurer. The research found that 88% of drivers speed on work business, compared to 82% on private trips. Similar differences were found for driving while fatigued, distracted driving and driving under the influence of alcohol. The study was carried out before legal changes that now require companies in France to reveal who was driving a company vehicle in the case […]
More than a thousand bus, coach, truck drivers and their union representatives gathered outside the European Commission’s HQ in Brussels earlier this week in protest over fears that new EU rules will lead to shorter rest times and increased fatigue. The European Transport Workers Federation, a trade union, says the European Commission’s new Road Initiative , expected to be launched on 31 May, contains a bundle of measures meant to shorten weekly rest periods for drivers and extend their driving time. The ETF says […]
A report by researchers at the University of Ghent into current labour practices in the European aviation industry warns that safety is being compromised by a ‘race to the bottom’ in employment practices. The researchers say pilots, particularly those entering the labour market, are increasingly hired on insecure ‘zero hours’ contracts, are working longer hours in order to pay off large debts accrued during training, and are disinclined to call in sick, report fatigue or even report safety concerns. A patchwork of national rules […]
This report aims to offer employers insight into tackling fatigue amongst HGV drivers. Fatigue is one of main risks for this group of professional drivers. Part one looks at the involvement in HGVs in collisions and collision causation factors including fatigue. The second part of the Thematic Report gives an overview of EU legislation on driving and resting times. Although this legislation aims at improving the working conditions of drivers and ensuring fair competition in the EU, this report will focus in on its […]
Driving is a demanding task and the risk of crash is high when individuals are not physically or mentally fit to drive. This is especially true when looking at work related driving, since conditions such as work related stress or sleepiness resulting from driving long hours come to play a role. This report looks into Fitness to Drive in the work-related context. The first part looks at Workplace Health Promotion (WHP). Improving the health and well-being of employees is of paramount importance for employers […]
This first thematic report aims to present how in-vehicle safety equipment can improve and manage work related road safety. This report addresses all employers managing all types of vehicle from public authorities, vehicle leasing suppliers, small two car delivery companies to large international companies and also vehicle manufacturers.
The role of driver fatigue in driving safety is a complex one, especially within commercial road transport, which is the focus of this review. The core issue is one of working time and the opportunity this offers for rest and recuperation from work, together with the possibility of presenting for work unimpaired by fatigue and loss of sleep. However, powerful economic and social forces influence and control the normative pattern of work of commercial drivers. Working time is, after all, one of the basic […]