Improving Sleep, Safety, and Health in Truck Drivers

The current project is a safety and health intervention focused on sleep and fatigue among truck driver teams (pairs), where one driver sleeps in a moving vehicle while the other partner drives. This study is conducted within the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center (OHWC), a NIOSH Center of Excellence in Total Worker Health. We will evaluate engineering and behavioral interventions to improve sleep, reduce fatigue, and impact Total Worker Health. An enhanced cab intervention will alter whole body vibrations during driving and sleep periods, and includes a therapeutic mattress system and an active suspension seat. The enhanced cab will be evaluated alone and in combination with a behavioral sleep intervention adapted from our effective SHIFT (Safety &Health Involvement For Truckers) program. The interventions prioritize hazard reduction according to the hierarchy of controls, and will be evaluated with a randomized controlled design.