The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is now home to the North American Fatigue Management Program (NAFMP), offering a training tool to help combat truck driver fatigue.
Research in 2006 showed that numerous factors impact driver fatigue and motor carriers should consider certain factors in their safety programs, including:
- driver health
- environmental factors (such as cabin ergonomics and vibrations)
- road conditions and seasonal variants
- operational factors (scheduling practices, compensation, regulations, and safety culture)
In 2009, an operational field test with 77 commercial vehicle drivers in Alberta, Quebec and California found positive trends in sleep duration and sleep efficiency after implementing a Fatigue Management Program.
These trends include:
- Improved reported sleep quality on duty days
- 20 minutes longer main sleep on duty days
- Improved duty day main period sleep duration and efficiency compared to rest days
- Drivers reported less fatigue
- Reduction in proportion of drivers reporting critical events (29% from 46%) and 40% reduction in number of critical events per km driven
To take advantage of these positive trends, FMCSA created the North American Fatigue Management Program (NAFMP) with help from medical and sleep scientists from Canada and the U.S.
FMCSA has supported the NAFMP since its inception and looks forward to CVSA continuing to provide this important program to educate the motor carrier industry on driver fatigue.
What is the North American Fatigue Management Program (NAFMP)?
NAFMP is a comprehensive educational and training program aimed at preventing fatigue-related risks and crashes and cultivating a corporate safety culture that proactively works to eliminate driver fatigue.
Learn how other drivers’ risky behaviors can affect your insurance rates.
At no cost or obligation, the comprehensive approach of the NAFMP combines effective fatigue management tools with education on what causes fatigue and how to minimize its occurrence.
You can use their e-learning platform to:
- complete the training with interactive modules (containing exercises and quizzes)
- or access on-demand downloads
Accessed through www.nafmp.org, the training is designed to build a safety culture and educate truck drivers, their families, carrier executives and managers, shippers and receivers, and dispatchers on identifying sleep disorders, treatment options and fatigue management technologies.
The 10 training topics include:
- Fatigue Management Program introduction and overview
- Safety culture and management practices
- Driver education
- Driver family education
- Train-the-trainer for driver education and family forum
- Shippers and receivers
- Motor carrier sleep disorder management
- Driver sleep disorders management
- Driver scheduling and tools
- Fatigue monitoring and management technologies
How will NAFMP likely change under CVSA guidance?
According to CVSA President Capt. John Broers with the South Dakota Highway Patrol, “Offering the North American Fatigue Management Program as one of the Alliance’s driver-related educational programs helps us do our part to combat crashes caused by driver fatigue and exhaustion.”
In addition, CVSA plans to enhance, improve and grow the program by:
- Hosting live and recorded Q&A sessions
- Offering a moderated forum where users may ask questions and provide feedback
- Offering information sessions at CVSA events and conferences
- Hosting program and steering committee meetings to discuss program improvements
- Offering webinars on various topics relevant to fatigue management
- Offering Spanish content in addition to English and French
Learn more about the NAFMP and how to implement a fatigue management program by visiting the NAFMP website. Download a step-by-step implementation manual and register in the eLearning platform for the program courses.
DOT Compliance Programs (PSM)
At CNS, our DOT Compliance Programs focus on Proactive Safety Management (PSM),a mindset that will ensure your fleet’s safety and compliance is always in order and ahead of the FMCSA.
Our PSM Motor Carrier Program includes:
- ELD management
- Driver Qualification File Management
- New driver on-boarding
- Driver safety meetings
- CSA score management
- Policies and handbooks
- Vehicle maintenance
- and more