CVSA Adopts North American Fatigue Management Program

First published by CVSA

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is now home to the North American Fatigue Management Program (NAFMP), a comprehensive educational and training program aimed at preventing fatigue-related risks and crashes and cultivating a corporate safety culture that proactively works to eliminate driver fatigue.

As an organization comprised of law enforcement jurisdictions, motor carriers, trucking organizations, safety associations and federal agencies committed to eliminating crashes on our roadways, CVSA was tasked by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FNCSA) with the management and evolution of the NAFMP. The NAFMP steering committee also includes Transport Canada, working closely with FMCSA to support the program.

“Our goal at CVSA is to prevent crashes involving commercial motor vehicles,” said CVSA President Capt. John Broers with the South Dakota Highway Patrol. “Offering the North American Fatigue Management Program as one of the Alliance’s driver-related educational programs helps us do our part to combat crashes caused by driver fatigue and exhaustion.

”“CVSA has the ideal infrastructure of events and channels of communication to foster the NAFMP,” said NAFMP Steering Committee Chair Roger Clarke.

“FMCSA is excited for this additional opportunity to partner with CVSA to address driver fatigue,” said FMCSA Deputy Administrator Meera Joshi. “FMCSA has supported the NAFMP since its inception and looks forward to CVSA continuing to provide this important program to educate the motor carrier industry on driver fatigue.”The NAFMP was developed by medical and sleep scientists from Canada and the United States through a multi-year, four-phase comprehensive process. The program aims to prevent driver fatigue and eliminate fatigue-related crashes by:

Offering easy-to-access online fatigue prevention training and education to commercial motor vehicle drivers, motor carrier executives and managers, freight shippers and receivers, dispatchers, driver managers, driver’s spouses and families, safety managers and trainers, etc.
Encouraging a motor carrier safety culture that proactively considers situations that may contribute to driver fatigue and fights to prevent it
Identifying sleep disorders and treatment options
Utilizing driver fatigue management technologies

In addition, CVSA plans to enhance, improve and grow the program by:

Hosting live and recorded Q&A sessions
Offering a moderated forum where users may ask questions and provide feedback
Offering information sessions at CVSA events and conferences
Hosting program and steering committee meetings to discuss program improvements
Offering webinars on various topics relevant to fatigue management
Offering Spanish content in addition to English and French

Learn more about the NAFMP and how to implement a fatigue management program by visiting the NAFMP website. Download a step-by-step implementation manual and register in the eLearning platform for the program courses.

“This program has the potential to reduce fatigue-related risks, improve driver alertness, health and wellness, increase productivity, and decrease crashes and roadway fatalities,” said Capt. Broers. “The online training and educational courses available through this program are free, voluntary, self-paced and available 24/7. We encourage all drivers and motor carriers to utilize these online tools.”

For more information, contact CVSA Fatigue Management Program Specialist Rodolfo Giacoman via email or at 301-830-6155.

This program was made possible through an international partnership of law enforcement jurisdictions, federal agencies, academics and motor carrier stakeholder groups.

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