I-5 Troopers Crack Down on Fatigued Truck Drivers

Troopers target fatigued truck drivers on I-5

Fatigued driving is drawing renewed attention from highway safety officials, who are treating drowsiness as a preventable crash risk alongside impaired and distracted driving.

The information available describes a Maryland safety initiative rather than providing operational details about a specific I-5 enforcement effort. Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administration Highway Safety Office has expanded its “Be the Driver” campaign to include “Be the Alert Driver,” emphasizing the need for motorists to be rested and alert before getting behind the wheel.

For professional truck drivers, the warning carries particular weight. Long shifts, overnight schedules, monotonous highway miles and limited opportunities for quality sleep can all increase the risk of fatigue behind the wheel. A driver who begins drifting across a lane or misses a highway exit may already be too impaired by sleepiness to respond safely.

Safety officials identify several common warning signs of drowsy driving, including heavy eyelids, frequent yawning, lane drifting, striking rumble strips and missing signs or exits. Those signs should be treated as indications that continuing to drive is unsafe.

Drowsy-driving crashes occur most often between midnight and 6 a.m., as well as during the late afternoon. Those periods coincide with natural dips in the body’s circadian rhythm, the internal clock that helps regulate sleep and wakefulness.

These crashes are also frequently reported on rural roads and highways. A typical crash pattern involves a single driver leaving the roadway at a high rate of speed, sometimes with no evidence of braking. The consequences can be severe for truck drivers and for other motorists who share the highway.

One safety campaign cited an average of 1,060 injuries resulting from drowsy driving. Broader national estimates show the potential scale of the problem. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has estimated that drowsy driving contributes to the deaths of about 6,400 people annually in the United States.

At the same time, official crash statistics may understate the toll. A Governors Highway Safety Association analysis found that more than 6,300 people died in suspected drowsy-driving crashes in 2023, compared with 633 deaths officially recorded in federal statistics. The difference is partly attributed to the difficulty of proving fatigue after a crash. Unlike alcohol or drugs, sleep deprivation does not leave a physical substance that can be measured through a standard roadside or post-crash test.

The GHSA said one in five drivers acknowledged driving while tired at least once during the previous month. Other safety research cited in the campaign found that 95% of Americans recognize drowsy driving as dangerous, while nearly two-thirds reported having driven while drowsy.

That gap between awareness and behavior is a central concern for highway safety officials. John Lopos, chief executive officer of the National Sleep Foundation, described drowsy driving as both a common experience and a public health issue. He said drivers should prioritize sleep before driving and remain alert on the road.

Fatigue can result from more than an overnight driving schedule. Restricted sleep caused by family responsibilities, a late or extended work shift, social activities or a long holiday trip can all reduce concentration and reaction time. The effects may include impaired judgment, slower responses, difficulty maintaining a lane and a greater chance of falling asleep at the wheel.

For truck drivers, hours-of-service rules provide important limits on driving and on-duty time, but compliance alone does not guarantee that a driver is adequately rested. Sleep quality, irregular schedules and individual health conditions can still affect alertness during a shift.

The safety campaign is scheduled to include Drowsy Driving Prevention Week 2026 and additional public education materials. The broader message is that fatigue should be treated as a serious driving impairment, not as a minor inconvenience that can be overcome with determination.

Highway enforcement and education efforts are aimed at reducing crashes before they happen. Recognizing the early signs of fatigue is a key part of that effort, particularly for drivers operating large commercial vehicles on high-speed, heavily traveled routes.