The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has announced the North American Fatigue Management Program (NAFMP), an 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 of the NAFMP.

"Our goal at CVSA is to prevent crashes involving commercial motor vehicles," said John Broers, CVSA president 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."

The NAFMP steering committee also includes Transport Canada, working closely with FMCSA to support the program.

"CVSA has the ideal infrastructure of events and channels of communication to foster the NAFMP," said Roger Clarke., NAFMP Steering committee chair.

The NAFMP was developed by medical and sleep scientists from Canada and the United States through a multi-year, four-phase comprehensive process.

"FMCSA is excited for this additional opportunity to partner with CVSA to address driver fatigue," said Meera Joshi, FMCSA deputy administrator. "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 program aims to prevent driver fatigue and eliminate fatigue-related crashes by: 

• Offering 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

"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 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."

Related: Optibus, GreenRoad Partner on Safety-Driven Planning System