A 36-hour recovery period for truck drivers: synopsis of current scientific knowledge

This report presents a broad review of the scientific literature on rest and recovery requirements from acute and cumulative fatigue due to extended hours of work during the day and across several days. The literature was also reviewed from the perspective of assessing the potential adequacy of a 36-hour off-duty period as a rest time for rest and recovery of commercial drivers from the current weekly maximums for driving and on-duty hours in the Canadian hours-of-service regulations. Topics covered are: literature review; observations from the literature on the restorative nature of rest; current scientific knowledge and the 36-hour rest proposal; and recommendations for future research.