Truck drivers monitor a lot of safety factors while covering their routes, but one safety risk they might not consider as often is their quality of sleep.

Sleep deprivation is one of the biggest safety risks for truck drivers, impacting reaction time, decision-making, and overall health. Understanding the causes, risks, and solutions for sleep deprivation can help truckers stay safe on the road.

Why Sleep Deprivation Is a Concern for Truck Drivers

Even under the best conditions, getting a good night’s sleep can be tough. Health experts generally recommend that adults get at least seven hours of restful sleep each night. But in every US state, at least 30% of adults report that they aren’t meeting this goal.

Among truck drivers, that percentage might be even lower. Long and sometimes unpredictable work shifts can make sticking to a set bedtime difficult, which can then impact when you get up the next morning.

Sleeping in a truck has its challenges, too, but it’s not impossible to make your cab more conducive to good sleep. Those who don’t prioritize comfort, though, could find it hard to sleep with road noise, too much light, or uncomfortable bedding.

Hours of Service (HOS) regulations and sleep

Getting enough good sleep shouldn’t be seen as a luxury; it’s a necessity for both overall health and safety. The FMCSA has Hours of Service (HOS) regulations to help ensure that drivers get enough sleep between driving stints. The most important regulations include:

• 11-hour driving limit after 10 consecutive hours off duty
• 14-hour workday limit including breaks
• 30-minute break required after 8 hours of driving

Despite these regulations, many drivers still suffer from fatigue as a result of not getting high-quality sleep.

The Negative Impacts of Sleep Deprivation

Fatigue and overtiredness from sleep deprivation is an uncomfortable, frustrating feeling, but it’s also a dangerous state for drivers to be in. Sleep deprivation is a major safety risk to truck drivers and the rest of the driving public.

Drowsy driving is similar to driving under the influence. When sleep deprived, your reaction time slows and judgment tends to be impaired. This increases your risk for being in a traffic accident, creating danger for yourself and others around you. Though various factors make exact figures hard to determine, experts attributed 693 deaths to “drowsy-driving-related” crashes in 2022.

Legal and financial consequences

Accidents have lasting impacts beyond physical harm. Depending on the nature and extent of the accident, drivers may suffer legal and financial consequences stemming from driving while sleep deprived. For one, there are liability issues to consider if a driver causes an accident and is determined to be fatigued.

Some drivers continue logging miles in violation of HOS regulations, even if they’re knowingly overtired. This puts them at risk of penalties and fines for breaking HOS laws. Trucking companies are responsible for ensuring their drivers follow FMCSA rules, so breaking HOS regulations could result in suspension from driving — meaning lost wages for those hours you’re not driving.

Health impacts of chronic sleep deprivation

Dangers of sleep deprivation extend to your personal wellbeing, too. Drivers who don’t get enough good sleep are at risk of:

• Increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes
• A weakened immune system leading to more frequent illness
• Higher levels of stress and mental health issues like anxiety and depression

Maintaining healthy habits can be challenging for some drivers as/is. Add sleep deprivation on top of this, and some drivers could be at risk for being in poor health AND having their CDL suspended or revoked if they don’t meet DOT physical requirements.

Sleep Deprivation Symptoms

It can be hard to tell if you’re simply tired or experiencing true sleep deprivation. Feeling tired every once in a while is normal, but the usual symptoms of sleep deprivation are ongoing. If you experience these or similar symptoms several times a week or daily, you could be sleep deprived:

• Frequent yawning and heavy eyelids
• Headaches
• Nodding off or difficulty keeping your head up
• Slow reaction time and delayed responses to traffic

Sleep deprivation symptoms go beyond physical signals and can include changes to your cognitive behaviors. Memory lapses, drifting between lanes, failing to maintain speed, and feeling restless or overly emotional are some of the behavioral cues that indicate sleep deprivation.

Preventing Sleep Deprivation in Truck Drivers

The first step to preventing sleep deprivation is to prioritize quality sleep. Committing to getting a good night’s rest will help you feel better in the long run and can help you feel more capable in your job by setting you up for success the next day.

First, try to maintain a consistent sleep schedule, even on non-driving days. The more often you can stay on schedule, the more conditioned your body will be to fall asleep and rise at the same times each day.

Next, make your sleep space as comfortable as possible. Blackout curtains can help to prevent exterior light from getting in, and earplugs or white noise machines can help to drown out loud noises from outside the cab. Consider adding a new mattress or mattress topper for extra comfort and make sure you have a supportive pillow that you just use for sleep.

Daytime habits

Your daytime routine matters for your sleep hygiene, too. Keep these tips in mind when planning your day:

• Take power naps (15–30 minutes) if feeling drowsy.
• Follow HOS regulations and plan rest stops in advance.
• Avoid driving during the body’s natural sleep window (midnight–6 AM) when possible.
• Limit caffeine intake before bedtime and avoid energy drinks late in the day.
• Eat balanced meals to maintain consistent energy levels.
• Stay hydrated, but avoid excess fluids before sleeping to prevent waking up frequently.
  
  

Using technology to improve rest

Tech solutions can help keep sleep-deprived drivers safe. Some truck cabs are equipped with fatigue monitoring systems that track the driver’s pupils, monitor how long their eyes close, or recognize other signs of fatigue, such as head tilt. If fatigue symptoms are detected, the driver is alerted either by an alarm or seat vibration, indicating that they need to break for rest as soon as possible.

Wearing a fitness tracker that monitors sleep patterns and quality can offer helpful insights as well. Learning how well you sleep and how different conditions affect your rest can help you develop better sleep habits.

Fatigue Management in the Trucking Industry

Getting appropriate sleep starts with the individual driver, but the industry is also finding ways to help. Truck cabs equipped with lane departure warning systems and collision avoidance technology help to prevent fatigue-related crashes by alerting drivers to possible dangers. These technologies aren’t totally fail-safe and should only be used as an extra layer of protection — still, they’re valuable safety tools.

Another tool that drivers may not think of as a safety device: the truck’s electronic logging device (ELD). ELDs automatically log driving hours to ensure that drivers comply with HOS regulations and can help drivers remember to take breaks (and power naps!) during long stretches of driving.

And speaking of HOS regulations: these were updated in 2020 to better support rest and recovery by giving drivers more flexibility in how they accrue their hours. As more education becomes available on the importance of sleep hygiene and fatigue management, particularly among long-haul drivers, these regulations could continue to change to better meet driver needs.

Take Care of Yourself With Pride

Taking care of your mental and physical wellbeing is an important part of feeling your best, both in your personal life and at work. At Pride Transport, we support our drivers’ wellness by ensuring they’re driving the best-equipped trucks, working with an experienced support team, and taking their safety seriously. Join the Pride family today by checking out our driver career page.