The fatigue of drivers of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) is managed, from a regulatory perspective in Great Britain, through a combination of legislation which includes limits on the number of hours that a driver may drive, tasks a driver may undertake other than driving, and which imposes requirements for the duration and frequency of rest breaks. In exceptional circumstances, for example where time is critical and impacts will be severe if relaxation is not permitted, a temporary relaxation of driving time limits and/or rest drivers’ hours regulations can be considered. However, to date, there has been no co-ordinated research conducted to assess the benefits and disadvantages that have resulted from these relaxation periods, or the impact they have had on driver fatigue.
The Department for Transport commissioned this research to understand what evidence is available to support any potential changes to the regulatory framework.
