This report is part of Phase 1 of the Australian Truck Safety Study. It reviews the literature and industry experience relating to drivers, organisational factors and enforcement. Of the immediate influences on driver behaviour, drug, alcohol and driving hours are the most critical. Although no Australian data is available, US studies indicate a range of drugs present in fatally injured truck drivers, and that there is a strong association between exceeding hours of service and drug use. Alcohol appears to be less of a problem in truck crashes than in crashes involving other vehicles. Fatigue is a complex issue, affected by a range of factors of which driving hours is only one. Log books as presently used appear to be ineffective. Fatigue detectors may also have a role. US experience suggests that young truck drivers are over-represented in crashes. Young drivers account for a large proportion of crashes in Australia, but exposure data is not available. Although psychological tests are now available for selecting drivers these have not been satisfactorily validated. Operator licensing may be an effective way of improving safety, which could perhaps be achieved through an industry-run accreditation scheme. Graduated licensing for driving may also be effective. Driving records should be made available to employers. A number of countermeasures are recommended, together with an estimate of their costs. These are compulsory medical examinations with an emphasis on identifying problems associated with drug, alcohol or chronic fatigue, changes in permitted hours provisions to include activities other than driving, incentives for the use of automatic recording devices, mandatory drug tests for drivers who exceed driving hours or alcohol convictions, treatment programs for alcohol and drug problems, education programs targetted at errant drivers, training for drivers with poor records, making driving records accessible to employers, and operator licensing. Future research needs are identified. These include a survey of truck drivers to establish exposure by age, employment status and other factors, developing a program to assess drug presence in crash-involved drivers, an evaluation of driver training currently offered, investigation of the relation between employment status and crashes, the feasibility of various methods of driver selection, an education program aimed at attitudes and self-image, graduated driver licensing, and fatigue. For parts 5, 4 and 2 see IRRD 831351-831352 and 831354.
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