There are more than 3 million commercial truck drivers in California and across the U.S. Altogether, they carry over 70 percent of the nation’s cargo. That’s why it’s important to keep truck drivers safe on the road, especially when fatigue is becoming more and more of a risk. The average trucker puts in as much as 70 duty hours in a workweek. Every year, an estimated 100,000 crashes occur because of drowsy truck drivers.
However, a startup in Oklahoma may soon be able to make a positive impact on truck driver safety. BlyncSync was started by Oklahoma University graduates three years ago to improve trucker safety and efficiency as well as facilitate relationships between truckers and dispatchers. The company, which is currently working on a scalable business plan with the nonprofit i2E, will begin a pilot program with five trucking businesses in Oklahoma and some other states.
BlyncSync will focus on making safety devices that can be worn on a truck driver’s skin in order to measure biometric data like heart rate and behavior. Its products will range from watches and bands to smart hard hats and smart safety glasses. The CEO has stated that safety glasses are the priority; these will keep track of blink rates and instances of yawning and head tilting as a way to measure fatigue.
However, it’s ultimately up to the driver to decide if they should continue in a drowsy state. When a trucker’s negligence is behind a truck accident injury, the victim could consult with an attorney about filing an injury claim.
