Abstract One of the major concerns for professional drivers is fatigue. Many studies evaluated specific fatigue countermeasures, in many cases comparing the efficiency of each method separately. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of rest areas combined with consumption of energy drinks on professional truck drivers during a prolonged simulated drive. Fifteen professional truck drivers participated in three experimental sessions: control-drivers were asked to drink 500ml of a placebo drink prior to the beginning of the drive. Energy drink-drivers were asked to drink 500ml of an energy drink containing 160mg of caffeine prior to the beginning of the drive, and an Energy drink+Rest session — where the drivers were asked to drink 500ml of an energy drink prior to driving, and rest for 10min at a designated rest area zone 100min into the drive. For all sessions, driving duration was approximately 150min and consisted of driving on a monotonous, two-way rural road. In addition to driving performance measures, subjective measures, and heart rate variability were obtained. Results indicated that consumption of an energy drink (in both sessions) facilitated lower lane position deviations and reduced steering wheel deviations during the first 80–100min of the drive relative to the control sessions. Resting after 100min of driving, in addition to the energy drink that was consumed before the drive, enabled the drivers to maintain these abilities throughout the remainder of the driving session. Practical applications: Practical applications arising from the results of this research may give indication on the possible added value of combining fatigue counter measures methods during a prolonged drive and the importance of the timing of the use for each method.

    Highlights The present study evaluated the effectiveness of resting combined with consumption of energy drinks on professional truck drivers during a simulated drive. Each driver participated in three sessions: Control, driving after energy drink consumption and a combination of energy drink + Resting after 100minutes of driving. Results indicated that consumption of an energy drink facilitated maintaining driving performance during the first part of the drive. Resting after 100minutes in addition to the energy drink enabled drivers to maintain these abilities.


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    Title :

    The combination of short rest and energy drink consumption as fatigue countermeasures during a prolonged drive of professional truck drivers


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    Publication date :

    2014-02-20




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English