The extent to which heavy goods vehicle driver training is focused on reducing the casual factors of driver stress and fatigue

United Kingdom (UK) government and European Commission (EC) statistics identify driver stress and fatigue as a major cause of road accidents, with research showing that driver fatigue is a significant factor in approximately 20% of accidents involving heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).
Over the last 25 years, HGV drivers have benefitted from increased investment in training programmes, with a considerable widening of the scope of training and greater emphasis placed on legal compliance and cost reduction. A recent European Union Council Directive requires that HGV drivers undertake a minimum of 35 hours training over a five year period.
Whilst there appears to be considerable industry produced material expounding the benefits of training, critical academic and analytical information is scarce and the effectiveness of HGV driver training as a measure to improve road safety is the subject of ongoing debate.
Academic literature identifies the causal factors leading to increased stress and fatigue while driving, however, the extent to which HGV driver training is focused on stress and fatigue is unclear from the literature. This research is intended to contribute to understanding of this area.