A Canadian Trucking Alliance official has admitted that the issue of truck and bus driver fatigue has become high profile lately, and the group is helping to educate the public.

According to the Edmonton Sun, the CTA, which is heavily involved in the issue of managing driver fatigue, says there has been extensive research on hours of service over the past five years. The organization says, even though new regulations are expected during the next six to 12 months, they want to introduce projects they have been working on in the meantime.
Graham Cooper, the CTA’s senior vice president, says the new regulations "are consistent with our current understanding of sleep and are designed to strike a balance between productivity and safety."
CTA officials say they are happy current regulations will be updated, but are quick to point out that they haven’t been waiting for legislation to be implemented.
Cooper says they’ve been working with experts that are studying driver fatigue, and have come up with an information package called "Awake Break," which includes a book called "Straight Talk on Fatigue and Alertness," and accompanying audio tapes aimed at professional truckers and the shipping industry.
The article said the CTA didn’t want to lose its momentum on the fatigue issue waiting for new regulations to kick in. The group also teamed up with Transport Canada to produce a series of brochures on the subject to be released next year.
"They will be a handy reference on topics like spotting fatigue and how to use strategic napping," Cooper told the paper.
In addition, the CTA is joining forces with Transport Canada, along with the Alberta Trucking Industry Safety Association, the Government of Alberta and the Canadian Sleep Institute, to develop a new program called the "Fatigue Management Program Test."
"It's in its final design and testing phase right now and will then be run as a pilot program in Alberta," he told the paper.
Cooper says the CTA hopes the project will generate some "solid science" on questions that surround driver fatigue.