A 1985 Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance study found that 41 percent of all truck crashes had fatigue as a probable contributing circumstance. A prime target for a subsequent underride accident. A recent survey found that 19 percent of truck drivers questioned admitted to falling asleep at the wheel at least once in the month prior to the survey. When you ask to see a trucker's log book, ask for the other one, too. During an accident investigation, don't stop looking when you find a log book in the truck cab.
Chances are, another is secreted between or under the seats or in the sleeper berth.
Explore the truck cab for gas receipts. Many such receipts list the date AND TIME of a fuel purchase. If, when on patrol, you see a semi parked along the highway, check it out. Parking at the edge of the road because the driver is sleepy may seem like an emergency to the driver, but it's an underride accident waiting to happen. If nothing else, escort the outfit to the nearest exit or, on a non-interstate highway, to an area where the driver can park the rig and not present a hazard.