Accident Study raises questions about Truck Monitoring

Accident Study Raises Questions About Truck Monitoring

 

 

 

The vast majority of fatigue-related truck accidents occur within the first five or six

 

hours of a driver's journey, according to a new study by Australia's major truck insurer,

 

National Transport Insurance. The chairman of the Australian Trucking Association,

 

Trevor Martyn, said the study raised important questions about the safety benefits

 

of electronic heavy vehicle speed and fatigue monitoring.

 

 

 

Australia's transport ministers have decided to press ahead with electronic

 

monitoring without holding a trial first. "The NTI study shows that driver

 

fatigue and inappropriate speed for the conditions accounted for almost

 

one in two serious truck accidents," Mr Martyn said. "But the vast majority

 

(89.3 per cent) of the fatigue crashes occurred on outbound journeys within

 

500 kilometres of the point of departure. What's more, one in four fatigue crashes

 

were on Mondays – for many, the start of the working week.

 

 

 

"None of these accidents would have been prevented by electronic fatigue monitoring,

 

because the drivers would have been well within the regulated hours programmed into

 

the electronic systems.

 

 

 

"According to the study, the vast majority (77.5 per cent) of the speed-related crashes

 

were due to trucks rolling over because they were going too fast when they changed

 

direction. Again, many of these accidents would not have been prevented by electronic

 

speed monitoring. The trucks could well have been travelling within the legal speed limit,

 

but were going too fast for the conditions.

 

 

 

"The study shows that governments can't rely on fatigue and speed monitoring to reduce

 

truck accidents. What the industry needs are specifications that would allow operators

 

to use their existing fleet management systems, which in many cases already have the

 

capability to record speed and driving hours.

 

 

 

"This would reduce the administrative burden on truck drivers, which would make their

 

jobs easier and help them avoid fines for innocent mistakes. The records produced by the

 

systems would be available for independent audit and verification.

 

 

 

"Instead of relying on electronic monitoring to reduce accidents, the industry and

 

governments need to place a renewed emphasis on driver health and on making sure

 

that drivers are fit for duty when they start work.

 

 

 

"As the study points out, consignors need to make a conscious effort to reduce stress

 

and fatigue at the start of drivers' shifts by using better loading practices, making sure

 

departures occur on time, and making sure time slots are achievable.

 

 

 

"The study also suggests that governments need to focus on building more rest areas

 

within a 500 kilometre radius of the major cities, so drivers can easily find a place to stop

 

and cool down after the teeth-grinding frustration of getting loaded and getting through

 

the city traffic.

 

 

 

"The Australian Government is deciding the rest areas that will be funded in the first year

 

of its $70 million Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program. The ATA will be drawing

 

these study results to the Government's attention as it finalises the program," he said.

 

 

 

Mr Martyn said the study confirmed the safety benefits of building better roads, with

 

a substantial reduction in the number of accidents on the Hume, Pacific and Newell

 

highways in New South Wales. The NTI study examines the cause of 325 major crashes

 

that occurred in 2007, and builds on previous studies conducted by the insurer in

 

2003 and 2005.

Source: Australian Trucking Association