A review of the regulatory approach to heavy vehicle driver fatigue in Australia has now commenced. The review will be led by the National Road Transport Commission (NRTC) with participation from road authorities, the road transport industry and others. The objective of the policy review is improvements in road safety and transport productivity through the development and implementation of policies and practices to assist in the management of fatigue in drivers of heavy vehicles. Issues to be considered in future policy development include: the extent of the problem; results of recent research on circadian rhythms (time-of-day effects) and sleep/rest needs; the desirability of greater operator flexibility within safety constraints; the WA approach of a Code of Practice applied under OH&S legislation, and consistency between transport and OH&S requirements. It is likely that proposals for evaluation will involve: a flexible range of options from basic prescription to full fatigue management; all options consistent with the "duty of care" requirements of occupational health and safety legislation; and more widespread use of electronic record keeping, possibly as a pre-requisite for increased flexibility. The latter part of this paper presents a summary of a project concerning flexibility options for regulated hours of service. (a)
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