The Impact of Driving, Non-Driving Work, and Rest Breaks on Driving Performance in Commercial Motor Vehicle Operations

This paper reviews and critiques a 2011 Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) research report that analyzed naturalistic driving data collected in the Naturalistic Truck Driving Study. In this critique, the author discusses advantages and disadvantages of naturalistic driving for crash-related research, including whether it can effectively measure driver fatigue. In addition, the author describes potential confounding co-variables and specific findings related to four schedule topics: workday characterization; driving hours/time-on-task; work hours; and breaks. The article suggests that naturalistic driving methodology can provide volumes of data for in-depth analysis and scientific understanding, and that the VTTI research data can serve to both validate hours-of-service (HOS) hypotheses and to assess driver fatigue and safety. (TRID)