(Sept. 21, 2012) — A new study of truckers in Moncton is being billed by researchers as the largest of its kind in the world.
According to a CBC report, the University of Moncton and Community College of New Brunswick will spend the next three years studying truckers and their driving habits, specifically how they on average maintain exemplary driving records even as they get older.
The study, which will observe about 1,000 truckers on driving simulators, will look at everything from driving skills to health concerns to work and home life.
Johnson said there are lessons to be learned from truckers.
“We know that in the general population as we age, we have more collisions and their driving performances are diminishing. In the truckers, they maintain a phenomenal driving record and we have master drivers well into their 70s,” said Michel Johnson, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Moncton.
Johnson says other universities around the world are showing interest in the project.
Jean-Marc Picard, the executive director of the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association, told CBC the study can help investigate how the industry can be improved, making it more attractive for the next generation of truck drivers.
