LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Ask anyone who’s been in trucking for more than five years if electronic logging devices (ELDs) have changed the industry, and the answer will most likely be a resounding “yes.”
For many drivers, of course, the job itself changed. Electronic logs require entries the driver might not have made on paper logs. In addition, federal regulations about drivers’ hours of service (HOS) became more stringent. The practice of “adjusting” entries to maximize driving hours became more difficult — but the math exercise of tracking those hours actually became easier.
One of the bigger changes to the industry, however, has been seen in the safety department of many motor carriers. With ELDs, it became possible to get more information than what was provided on paper logs, and in a much more timely manner. No more waiting for paper logs to be physically handed over and audited.
The reality is that anything electronic that is connected to the truck’s system can be monitored — and information that can be monitored can also be presented in ways that increase its value.
Using its CPSuite product, Fleetworthy Solutions helps carriers decipher the myriad of information produced by a truck’s electronic systems, including ELDs. The idea is to create an Intelligent Compliance Platform that can be used by carriers to go beyond simple compliance to regulations by helping the carrier identify hazardous behaviors, fatigue and other issues so they can be dealt with quickly.
While Fleetworthy doesn’t produce or sell ELDs, the CPSuite works with just about any device.
“We can consume that data from all these different ELD data sources, bring it into our system, apply the regulations to the data and then give them reports on the violations that they’re triggering,” explained Mike Precia, president and CEO of Fleetworthy. “We can show the drivers that are having problems, and then red-thread that with all the other KPIs (key performance indicators) and things that they’re trying to monitor.”
In addition to alerting when a driver fails to make change-of-duty status entries, CPSuite can also calculate when split-sleeper berth regulations aren’t followed correctly, and even when use of the truck as a personal conveyance doesn’t match the parameters set by the carrier. It can compare log entries to GPS data and toll transactions to ensure entries accurately reflect a vehicle’s position.
One of the most important functions of the CPSuite, however, deals with the very reason federal HOS regulations exist — driver fatigue.
“We’re trying to layer on things that are more important than just the hours-of-service rules,” Precia said. “The example I use is, if the carrier is really interested in making sure that the driver is not having any kind of fatigue or any kind of crisis, we can have that driver do a quick cognitive test to make sure that they’re alert, make sure there is no fatigue before they start driving.”
While the responsibility for proper use of ELDs and adherence to HOS may fall on both the driver and the employer’s safety division, preventing fatigue is often a task left up to the driver. Fatigue is a critical issue for some drivers, especially those who suffer from sleep apnea, a condition that causes interruptions to sleep that can prevent proper rest.
“Excessive daytime sleepiness is the red flag,” said Dean Croke, principal analyst, author and Sleep Science expert at DAT Freight & Analytics. “Waking up feeling not rested, feeling worse than when you went to bed is the next one.”
Memory loss can be another red flag.
“Poor memory is a really strong indicator, because sleep deprivation affects all of the chemicals that store your memory,” Croke said. “If you forget your exit, forget where you’re going, that sort of thing — (memory is) absolutely critical.”
Drivers suffer from obesity at higher rates than the general population, and a large percentage of drivers are also smokers. Both obesity and smoking can contribute to sleep apnea. Croke says his own father suffered from the condition, but at the time no one really recognized the symptoms and impact of the condition.
“As children, we would joke about how loud my father snored,” he said. “(But) it wasn’t the snoring; it was the gasping for air that followed the blocking of the upper airway.
“One of the symptoms of sleep apnea is when you wake up gasping for air,” Croke continued. “The problem is that the gasping can cause hypotension. When you wake up gasping for air, that gasping gets the heart pumping, and it’s like pumping blood through your arteries with a shotgun.”
The symptoms of sleep apnea can often be reduced with diet and exercise, but the truck driving lifestyle doesn’t lend itself to either of those solutions. It takes a lot of effort to find the healthy food on the road, and tight schedules don’t always allow time for workouts.
The best course of action, of course, is to get proper diagnosis and treatment.
Even drivers without sleep apnea, however, can take steps to maximize the benefit of rest. Bob Perry, known as “The Trucker Trainer,” says sleep isn’t the only factor in whether a driver (or anyone, for that matter), is able to stay alert.
“Resistant exercise training, proper hydration, and solid nutrition play key roles in keeping energy levels running efficiently,” he said.
Hope Zvara, CEO of Mother Trucker Yoga also weighed in, suggesting that a good start to the day can help keep a person from experiencing fatigue. Don’t reach for coffee and a donut, in hopes that a caffeine and sugar buzz will clear the brain fog. Instead, she says, drink 8 to 20 ounces of water shortly after waking.
Like Perry, Zvara believes in the benefits of exercise.
“There are three simple moves to get your body going,” she said. “Do five sets of 10 squats, reaching up overhead and arching back, and then bending down to reach for the ground for a slow count of 10.”
Doing this simple morning routine, according to Zvara, gets the blood flowing and the digestive system working at full force.
At bedtime, she recommends following a routine in preparation for sleep.
“Incorporate 10 deep breaths before bed to help your central nervous system and mind separate from the day, helping you to fight tomorrow’s fatigue by stepping into deep rest the night before,” she explained.
Another tip from Croke is to sleep in 90-minute blocks.
“Sleeping one hour is going to cycle at the bottom of deep sleep. You wake up where you feel groggy and tired and moody,” he said, adding that at the hour and a half point, the body cycles out of deep sleep.
“You’re waking up with a dream, because the dream is at the end of every sleep cycle,” he said. “If you time your sleep to culminate with blocks of 90 minutes, you’ll always be waking up feeling refreshed and you’ll get better sleep quality.”
Monitoring and reporting systems, like Fleetworthy’s CPSuite, can help carriers identify when drivers are feeling the fatigue. It’s also important for drivers to maximize opportunities for rest by following the advice of the experts.
Cliff Abbott is an experienced commercial vehicle driver and owner-operator who still holds a CDL in his home state of Alabama. In nearly 40 years in trucking, he’s been an instructor and trainer and has managed safety and recruiting operations for several carriers. Having never lost his love of the road, Cliff has written a book and hundreds of songs and has been writing for The Trucker for more than a decade.
