USA Banner
  U.S. flag
              An official website of the United States government Here's how you knowOfficial US Government Icon
              **Official websites use .gov**A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
            Secure Site Icon
              **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                  A **lock** ( A locked padlock ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. 
 U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation
 Search DOT
            Search
                        About FMCSAAbout FMCSA
  

        
              Who We Are
                Mission
                Leadership
                Speaker Request Form
                Field Offices
                Policy
                Career Center
                Contact UsResources
  

        
              Frequently Asked Questions
                Grants
                FMCSA Advisory Committees
                Resources for State and Local Partners
                Reports to Congress
                National Training Center
                Motor Carrier Safety Planner
                Information Systems Overview
                ITD
                PRISM
                Your Roads. Their Freedom. (Stop Human Trafficking)RegulationsRegulations, Rules, & Notices
  

        
              FMCSA Guidance
                Regulations and Interpretations
                Rulemakings Documents
                Federal Register NoticesEnforcement
  

        
              Adjudication Decisions
                Civil Penalties
                Uniform Fine AssessmentTopics
  

        
              Medical
                National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners
                Exemptions
                Petitions for Rulemaking
                Petitions for Reconsideration
                Drug & Alcohol Testing
                Hours of Service
                New Entrant Safety Assurance Program
                Electronic Logging Devices (ELD)
                ADA Requirements for Over-the-Road Bus Companies
                Cargo SecurementRegistrationRegistration
  

        
              Do I Need a USDOT Number?
                Daily Register / Certificates / Letters
                Learn About Registration RequirementsMain Menu - Registration - Registration 2
  

        
              Apply for a New USDOT Number and/or Authority
                Update My USDOT Number and/or Authority
                FMCSA Contact CenterCDLCommercial Driver's License
  

        
              Licensing Overview and Resources
                Military Driver ProgramsMain Menu - CDL - CDL 2
  

        
              Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot (SDAP)
                State ResourcesSafetyMain Menu - Safety -1
  

        
              Passenger Carrier and Bus Safety
                Our Roads, Our SafetyR
                Household Goods - Protect Your Move
                Report a Violation
                Company Safety Data
                CertificationMain Menu - Safety -2
  

        
              International Safety
                Hazardous Materials Safety
                Driver Safety
                Carrier Safety
                Bicyclist and Pedestrian Safety
                Coercion/HarassmentResearchAnalysis, Research, & Technology
  

        
              Overview
                Tech-Celerate Now
                Crash Causal Factors Program (CCFP)
                Active Research Projects
                Reports and PublicationsData and Statistics
  

        
              Safety Progress Report
                Pocket Guide to Large Truck and Bus Statistics
                Large Truck and Bus Crash FactsNewsNews
  

        
              Newsroom
                Emergency Declarations
                Press Releases and AnnouncementsConnect with us
  

        
              FMCSA on Facebook
                FMCSA on Handshake
                FMCSA on Linkedin
                FMCSA on Medium (Blog)
                FMCSA on X (formerly Twitter)
                FMCSA on YouTube
                DOT on YouTubeMenu Home
                        FMCSA NewsroomIn This Section
        Newsroom
                Press Releases and Announcements
                
                Real-World Hours-of-Service Study Shows Drivers Using New Restart Are More Alert, Less Fatigued
    

    
          Thursday, January 30, 2014
    
          January 30, 2014

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today released findings from a real world, third-party study providing further scientific evidence that the restart provision in the current hours-of-service rule for truck drivers is more effective at combating fatigue than the prior version.

"Safety is our top priority, and this new study shows more data-driven evidence that our safety standards help truckers stay well-rested, alert and focused on the road," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "The hours-of-service rule is helping to reduce truck driver fatigue and making every traveler on our highways and roads safer."

Scientists measured sleep, reaction time, sleepiness and driving performance in the study. They found that drivers who began their work week with just one nighttime period of rest, as compared to the two nights in the updated 34-hour restart break:

Exhibited more lapses of attention, especially at night;
	Reported greater sleepiness, especially toward the end of their duty periods; and
	Showed increased lane deviation in the morning, afternoon and at night."This new study confirms the science we used to make the hours-of-service rule more effective at preventing crashes that involve sleepy or drowsy truck drivers," said Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Anne S. Ferro. "For the small percentage of truckers that average up to 70 hours of work a week, two nights of rest is better for their safety and the safety of everyone on the road."

The study was conducted by the Washington State University Sleep and Performance Research Center and Philadelphia-based Pulsar Informatics, Inc. It is one of the largest real-world studies ever conducted with commercial motor vehicle drivers, and included 106 participants, 1,260 days of data and nearly 415,000 miles of driving that were recorded by the truck-based data acquisition systems.

Working long hours on a continuing basis is associated with chronic fatigue, a high risk of crashes and a number of serious chronic health conditions in drivers. The updated 34-hour restart, includes two nighttime periods from 1 to 5 a.m., and is intended to provide sufficient time for a driver to recuperate from cumulative fatigue if they work beyond the weekly maximum on-duty limits.

Analysis shows that the rule will prevent approximately 1,400 crashes and 560 injuries, and save 19 lives each year. Only the most extreme schedules in which drivers are working more than 70 hours in one week will be impacted, and the vast majority of workforce - more than 85 percent - will see little to no change in their schedules as a result.

On July 4, 2012, President Obama signed the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) into law, which required the agency to conduct a field study on the efficacy of the restart provision of the hours-of-service rule for truck drivers.

On Dec. 27, 2011, FMCSA published the updated hours-of-service rules for truck drivers that amended the 34-hour restart provision to include at least two nighttime periods from 1 to 5 a.m. instead of one. MAP-21 did not change the July 1, 2013 effective date of the rule.

To read the full study, visit www.fmcsa.dot.gov. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

1-800-832-5660Subscribe to email updates
                    About
  

        
              About FMCSA
                Regulations
                Safety
                Analysis
                FMCSA PortalNews and Events
  

        
              FMCSA Newsroom
                Press Releases
                Emergency DeclarationsResources
  

        
              Career Center
                Resources for Carriers
                Resources for Consumers
                Resources for Drivers
                Forms
                Contact Us
                Trending TopicsPolicies, Rights, Legal
  

        
              About DOT
                Budget and Performance
                Civil Rights
                FOIA
                Information Quality
                No FEAR Act
                Office of Inspector General
                Privacy Policy
                Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
                USA.gov
                Web Policies and Notices
                Web Standards