This is comparable to UK data for car drivers. Drivers who reported driving for more than 14 hours per day or 72 hours per week were statistically significantly more likely to experience nodding off. Occasional or more frequent nodding off was related to fewer hours slept before the journey. These data suggest that obtaining few hours of sleep either before or during the trip is related to the occurrence of hazardous events. This indicates that although the industry as a whole is probably unexceptional in this respect, shorter hours of sleep may pose a hazard for some drivers.
Companies are less likely to consider fatigue a problem for their organisation.
Both drivers and companies much more frequently consider fatigue a problem for other drivers and companies. These findings suggest a degree of concern that fatigue is an industry problem, although individuals are more optimistic about the extent to which it affects them personally. This suggests it will be difficult to introduce effective industry wide, fatigue management practices until there is agreement among all parties on the extent of the problem. Nevertheless comparative data suggest that fatigue is perceived to be less of a problem in WA than in other States with regulated driving and related working hours. This may be because driving is more fatiguing in the east or because of the publicity given to fatigue as a problem in the east.