Driver Fatigue Worksheet?
 

http://www.mntruck.org/pdf/fatigueflier.pdf

The link is for a Minnesota State Police Driver Fatigue Worksheet. Drivers may want to drop a line to Minnesota to express their thoughts.

Be safe.

You go first! :lol2::lol2:

Let me get this straight...
The State of Minnesota is charging folks, for drivers calling in?
"Hello, come in! This is the Jackrabbit! I'm getting tired. Anybody there?"'

:p :lol:

I'm afraid my computer takes issues with "PDF" files. But, I'm curious... just who uses these "DRIVER FATIGUE WORKSHEETS"? The driver of MN state police? Is it going to be something like a logbook that we have to have in MN?

The PDF file is an "advertisement" for a seminar that was held on Feb 9, 2009 in MN. The seminar was sponsored by the Minnesota Trucking Association and the speaker was a Capt from the MN state police. The topic was driver fatigue and the role it plays in CMV crashes.

On the back of this flier is a copy of the checklist the MN state police currently uses in order to determine if a driver is fatigued and just how fatigued that driver may be.

There are quite a few items that are examined that go into the Evaluation Checklist. Some you might expect on such a checklist, quite a few you wouldn't and some items I have no idea how a LEO would even know about without a fairly major investigation.

The brief outline of the seminar given does not indicate if this checklist is used by patrols, crash investigators, weigh stations, all or a combination of them.

After reading that checklist, it became fairly clear to me that about half that checklist was for profiling purposes. Whether or not a driver's trash can is full does not determine their level of fatigue. The contents of their sleeper (which are irrelevant to a DOT officer without a search warrant or probable cause) do not determine their level of fatigue. The cleanliness of the exterior of their truck does not determine their level of fatigue.

If MN DOT is using this checklist in an attempt to profile drivers, they are doing a disservice to the industry.

:roll:

Subpart G—Miscellaneous parts and accessories
§393.76 Sleeper berths.

(e) Equipment. A sleeper berth must be properly equipped for sleeping. Its equipment must include:

(e)(1) Adequate bedclothing and blankets; and

(e)(2) Either:

(e)(2)(i) Springs and a mattress; or

(e)(2)(ii) An innerspring mattress; or

(e)(2)(iii) A cellular rubber or flexible foam mattress at least four inches thick; or

(e)(2)(iv) A mattress filled with a fluid and of sufficient thickness when filled to prevent “bottoming-out” when occupied while the vehicle is in motion.

(f) Ventilation. A sleeper berth must have louvers or other means of providing adequate ventilation. A sleeper berth must be reasonably tight against dust and rain.

(g) Protection against exhaust and fuel leaks and exhaust heat. A sleeper berth must be located so that leaks in the vehicle’s exhaust system or fuel system do not permit fuel, fuel system gases, or exhaust gases to enter the sleeper berth. A sleeper berth must be located so that it will not be overheated or damaged by reason of its proximity to the vehicle’s exhaust system.

(h) Occupant restraint. A motor vehicle manufactured on or after July 1, 1971, and equipped with a sleeper berth must be equipped with a means of preventing ejection of the occupant of the sleeper berth during deceleration of the vehicle. The restraint system must be designed, installed, and maintained to withstand a minimum total force of 6,000 pounds applied toward the front of the vehicle and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.[/quote]

Sorry to disagree Rev, but examination of the SB to ensure it meets the standards isn't that difficult. If the SB does not have all of the required equipment then it cannot be called a sleeper berth and any SB recorded on the log book would be a false log.

Be safe.

Can you cite the FMCSA regulation that states anything about other contents of the sleeper, such as TV, DVD's, video games, or books? Is there a FMCSA regulation that states that a trash can can't be full? Such things are irrelevant to determining whether a driver is fatigued, and are of no business of the DOT.

I'm curious, however - have you ever searched someone's sleeper to determine whether they have the required items (bedding and a mattress)? In 12+ years driving, I have never had a DOT officer even ASK me if I had the items, let alone check for them.

I never said they were, the correction had to do with entering the sleeper berth.

I can remember placing drivers OOS for having alcohol in coolers, I don't normally check SBs but I've had second thoughts on that as I've seen pictures of occassions officers discovered as many as five log books. Not to mention the other issues, i.e. drugs, alcohol, and not having the required components in the SB to log SB.

If the trash is on the floor and interfers with the brake operation, then there are issues.

Be safe.

Wouldn't DARE get in the middle of an argument between the Rev and M/B.... but, just to add my 2 cents:

If a trash can is full, or if their are pizz bottles present, I believe the inference is that the driver doesn't stop very often. He's obviously in a hurry and likes to keep the left door closed.

Games, books, computers .... if they are spread out on the bunk and not stored away.... might indicate that more time is spent on those items than sleeping.

If I was a DOT officer, and I found a trashbag/can full of empty Full Throttle bottles, etc... I'd take a REAL close look at those logs! :clap: