PREVALENCE OF DRIVING FATIGUE AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG LOGISTIC TRUCK DRIVERS IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

Fatigue is a very serious problem for transportation workers that contributes to various issues such as reduced alertness, slower reaction time, and deteriorating driving performance leading to road accidents. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of driving fatigue and its associated factors with individual, work-related, physiological changes in heart rate, and reduced alertness among logistics truck drivers in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 168 truck drivers employed in a logistics and transportation company in several locations including Klang Valley, Johor, and Penang. A self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain demographic and work-related information. The Swedish Occupational Fatigue Inventory (SOFI) and Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) were used to evaluate the fatigue and level of sleepiness of logistic truck drivers. A heart rate monitor and alertness impairment assessed psychological changes using psychomotor vigilance task (PVT). Measurements were assessed before and after work conditions for subjective sleepiness scale, changes in heart rate, and alertness reduction via PVT. The prevalence of occupational fatigue among logistic truck drivers was 42.9%. There was a strong association between occupational fatigue with age (β= -0.329, 95% CI: -0.644 to -0.013), job satisfaction (β= -0.381, 95% CI: -0.502 to -0.260) and the need for recovery after work (β= 0.172, 95% CI: 0.067 to 0.277) respectively. A significant difference was found in sleepiness levels before and after driving conditions (p<0.001, t=-12.96). However, no significant association was found between heart rate and occupational fatigue (p> 0.05). For PVT mean, the results showed that significant differences were found before and after working conditions (p=0.009, t=2.44). The combination of subjective and objective evaluation of fatigue was identified as the variables contributing to driving fatigue. Age, job satisfaction, and the need for recovery were the intrinsic variables that should be put into consideration in order to overcome the driving fatigue of logistic truck drivers.