Toni-Ann Samuels, Suriel Torres, Victoria Martinez

Providing Hotel Discounts for Dallas Truckers Might Reduce Fatigued Trucking
Accidents.

For many decades, trucks have been essential to our daily lives from transporting goods
to providing the services needed daily. Truck drivers have one of the most dangerous and
important jobs due to the size of the vehicles they operate. However, during recent decades, truck
statistics have reported tens of thousands of accidents throughout the world. Approximately 795
deaths have occurred in 2017 from drowsy driving (Drowsy Driving 2019), with more than
91,000 vehicle crashes from the same cause. These crashes are usually single driver events, with
the most of them occurring between 12AM and 6AM. We lose hundreds of people to these
avoidable accidents and driving long hours are sometimes to blame.

The purpose of our proposal is to not only bring awareness to the issues that plague our
roads and highways, but to also propose a plan to fix and create a safer driving experience for
every motorists on the road. Our scope is not completely eradicating fatigue induced truck
accidents, but lessening by implementing a safety measure/ protocol. Our proposal will discuss
previous research and policies that have been implemented to lessen fatigued truck driving, how
it is a problem in the Dallas/ Fort Worth Area, the participants in our program, a detailed
description of our program, how we plan on implementing and measuring our program, the
benefit stakeholders and participants will receive from the program, and concerns that are
integral to the program’s success.

Research conducted by the U.S Transportation Secretary and The Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration (FMCSA) showed that fatigue was the leading cause of truck accidents in
2015, 16 and 17. The FMCSA created the hours of service (HOS) rule which limited the time a
truck driver is able to spend driving. HOS guidelines became more flexible on June 1st of 2020
in order to give drivers options while not impacting their safety in a negative way. Changes like
expanding the window of time by two hours in adverse weather and a 30 minute break for every
8 hours of consecutive driving. Majority of commercial motor vehicles must comply, but these
are criterias that if met, they must follow; if the truck weighs over 10,001 pounds, if the truck is
transporting hazardous materials, etc. (FMCSA, 2020) According to the Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety (IIHS) drivers who falsified their logbooks, not comply by the HOS, got into
more avoidable accidents as opposed to their colleagues who followed the rules (Blower et al.
2010). The FMCSA creating the hours of service rule showed the weight and severity of the
problem of fatigue truck drivers and the necessity to solve the problem as effectively and quickly
as possible.

The FMCSA also published many tips for drivers to stay alert by rolling their windows
down or turning their radio to upbeat music high. These tips however were to keep individuals
alert for short periods of time and were not intended to be used for extended periods of time.
They do not work in terms of keeping one alert. They actually conceal the individual’s lack of
alertness (FMCSA, 2014).

Evidence the problem is affecting DFW residents is fatigued truck drivers account for
750 deaths and over 20,000 accidents yearly in Dallas (Grossman, 2019). This statistic is
evidence of the problem affecting the Dallas/ Fort Worth Area. Even though the numbers are not
astronomical, fatigued truck driving takes the lives of 750+ Texans yearly and impacts over
20,000 lives. These 750+ deaths should still be considered extensive because it is not just
because we wish to see no one die on our roads, but it is the simple fact that the accidents can be
avoidable. The lives lost were for no reason other than human error. Statistics also show that
when a loved one passes suddenly, suicide attempt rates rise among the deceased loved ones
(Brent et al., 2009). So not only are 750+ individuals dying, but the loved ones of those 750+
individuals are attempting to end their lives, making the argument that the number of lives taken
by fatigued driving is much larger than 750 substantial. The FMCSA saw that this was an issue
that needed to be solved and implemented laws that would help in the problem.

Potential program participants

Those who will be participating in our program are commercial truck drivers of the DFW
area who have complained of poor sleeping habits caused by the demand of their job. These
truck drivers will differ in their years of experience, age, ethnic backgrounds, health histories,
etc. The program will also be open to normal motorists who wish to be educated on the topic of
fatigued driving. The needs of the truck drivers will include better sleep to increase their
performance at their job. Other participants will also include healthcare professionals when it
comes time to assess our drivers prior to and after our program begins to measure changes when
the time comes. These providers will be psychologists, registered nurses, and sleep specialists.
They will conduct surveys and physicals on the truck drivers before and after the one month time
period in order to compare and find differences in the results to see the extent to which our
program helped in fatigue driving. They will be looking for sleep deprivation and levels of sleep
in the truck drivers.

Description of program

Our program, Safer Dallas Truckers’ main goal is to minimize the probabilities of
trucking accidents caused by fatigued truck drivers. We understand it is close to impossible to
completely eradicate fatigued trucking accidents due to the fact that we are all humans, but being
able to minimize accidents is definitely a start and gives us an achievable goal we can attain. In
order to minimize accidents, our program will educate truck drivers on the concept of fatigued
driving and the repercussions by holding seminars they will need to attend before the one month
period. In order to make these seminars appealing to truck drivers, we will see to it they are fed
and understand the need for this program in their lives. We will also provide discounts to the
truck drivers within our program when they stay at certain hotels as an incentive for truck drivers
to catch up on any lost or much needed sleep. Certain hotels like Super 8, Motel 6, and Ramada
Dallas Love Field will provide those discounts of 30% along with free parking with terms and
conditions.

The program will consist of truck drivers of all ages and genders because there is no need
for data from a specific group or audience. Truck drivers vary in many ages and backgrounds, so
being able to have a diverse pool of participants will yield the most accurate results. These truck
drivers will be given discounts to certain hotels and use them on their specific time and schedule.
This will continue for one month which is a wide enough window for data to be accumulated.
They will be using these discounts on the routes they take in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area because
it is the area in which the problem of fatigued truck driving is being focused on and where we
wish to minimize accidents.

This program will take off with the help of The Texas Health and Human Services
Commission (HHS) and the Texas Department of State Health Services. The HHS strives to
better the lives of Texans by promoting health and safety with stewardships of public resources.
Safer Dallas Truckers goal aligns with the HHS’s goals and will garner their attention. Our
timeline for developing this program will be around 3 weeks. Our program will cost $25,000 to
cover the discounts as well as paying our healthcare professionals when their time and services
are needed. The discounts we provide our truck drivers with will cost $10,000. Our seminars will
cost $5,000. Our team of healthcare professionals consisting of a psychiatrist, a sleep specialist,
and two registered nurses will cost $6,500. We will leave $3,500 for any miscellaneous charges
in the case of an emergency. We will also need the help and support of the hotels we choose.

There are few considerations that appeared during the process of working on the
program’s design. One consideration that would affect truck drivers was the fact that quite a few
truck drivers tend to drive at night between the hours of 12am and 6am because of a significantly
less amount of traffic and less probability of getting into accidents. Another consideration that
needed to be assessed is the fact that truck drivers are able to freely pull into rest stops and rest as
opposed to paying (a discount applied) for a hotel room and potentially paying for parking their
truck.

Implementing

Our program will be implemented in multiple truck driving companies in order to assess
the effectiveness as utilizing in only one can promote inaccurate results. Once we’ve acquired
enough participant companies we will instruct both the employees as well as the executive
officers on our program. The funding will be provided by state grants. Which will cover the
personnel conducting the experiment and supplies needed. Small companies will be the best
targets, as they will be easier to track. With this in mind we will not be limited to small
companies, however, this will be the most ideal target. Our timeline for the program will be one
month in order to gather accurate data.

Measuring

In order to measure the results we will be implementing both a survey and conduct
frequent observations of truck driving habits as well as the number of accidents that occur. Since
our program will be measuring both drowsiness and accidents involving a truck, accurate data
will be necessary. The surveys and interviews will measure the subjective aspects as these can
vary from person to person, they should still improve. The amount of altercations involving
trucks will be the objective aspect.

Although we do not seek to eliminate completely as this is statistically impossible, we do

hope to see a dramatic reduction in the injuries and lost capital as a result of accidents. If any
further variable were to be deemed a major or main cause of the issue we will adjust accordingly
and will report as well.

Benefit participants and stakeholders

The program would benefit our truck driver participants in two ways as well as address
the factors stated above. First, by educating drivers on fatigue driving and how they can avoid it.
Second, we will be providing discounts to the truck drivers that are a part of the program. Our
program would incorporate the fact that a number of drivers drive within the hours of 12am and
6am by giving truckers the option of using their discounts during the day or night. This
autonomy will not harm the hotel’s revenue by any means, because whether the drivers choose to
take advantage of their discounts during the day or night, the hotels will still be earning when the
drivers decide to stay. The healthcare professionals would benefit from our program by being
paid to be there and also gain insights and deeper understandings in their field of knowledge with
the data gathered throughout the program’s entirety.

The other consideration of drivers being able to rest in their trucks for free would be
addressed by our program providing comfortable accommodations like a proper bed to rest in, a
private bathroom, and complementary food options, as well as a free place to park their trucks
after they have stayed at a hotel on 3 or more occasions. The only disadvantage for staying in
one of our hotels would be the convenience of waking up and starting their truck and getting
back on the road in seconds. The convenience however, would come with significant health
risks. According to a research study conducted by The Journal of Biological and Medical
Rhythm Research, when in an upright position, it has been shown that individuals do not enter
the REM cycle which is needed for quality sleep. When the body is entering REM (rapid eye
movement), muscle tone decreases and the body’s parasympathetic system cannot take over,
resulting in psychological arousal (Roach, 2018). Without entering REM, an individual does not
get good quality sleep affecting their energy levels the next day, possibly resulting in the driver
driving while tired. Taking into account the limited space truck drivers would have in their truck
cabin to sleep, sleeping upright would not give them proper sleep, and awkward positions can
lead to medical issues in the long run like sleep apnea, and spine issues.

In regards to our stakeholders, our program would benefit our stakeholders, The Texas
Health and Human Services Commission and the Texas Department of State Health Services, by
improving the safety and well-being of all Texans on the road. Along with safety, there is also
monetary compensation that will be worth the investment. In terms of the trucking companies
that would be participating, their more competent drivers would lessen accidents that might lead
to injury lawsuits and vehicle damages they would need to recompense. An incentive that will
get revenues up and continue to remain high for hotels is additional discounts will be applied for
truck drivers when they stay at the designated hotels listed in our program for more than three
stays. As truck drivers continue to stay at their hotels, they will break even with the discounts.

In conclusion, this proposal discussed the importance of fatigued truck driving and the
impact it has on Dallas, the description of the program as well as the implement and
measurement of the program. It also discusses how participants and stakeholders benefit from the
program. At the end of the day, our program is designed to reduce the number of accidents
caused by fatigued truck drivers. With the help of the Texas Health and Human Services
Commission and the Department of State Health Services, we believe our program could do
what it set out to accomplish.
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