Heavy Vehicle Driver Workload Assessment
Heavy Vehicle Driver Workload Assessment

Author: Battelle Memorial Institute

Publisher:

Published: 1996

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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This report presents a description of a prescriptive workload assessment protocol for use in evaluating in-cab devices in heavy vehicles. The primary objective of this heavy vehicle driver workload assessment protocol is to identify the components and processes necessary to conduct an empirical appraisal of the potential of an in-cab device to distract drivers from the driving task. The methodological approaches and experimental design strategies that may be used to conduct a workload assessment are presented in detail. Included in this protocol are sets of workload measurements that can demonstrate to what extent in-cab devices intrude onto the primary driving task. The scientific and theoretical bases for how these various workload measures related to safe vehicle operation are discussed. The sets of workload measures comprise visual allocation measures, driver steering, pedal, and manual activity measures, driver-vehicle performance measures, and driver subjective assessments.

Heavy Vehicle Driver Workload Assessment
Heavy Vehicle Driver Workload Assessment

Author: Battelle Memorial Institute

Publisher:

Published: 1996

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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This report consists of an empirical establishment of heavy vehicle driver baseline performance data. Researchers interested in highway safety have called out the need for rudimentary workload data so that they might have a basis for comparison of workload associated with particular in-cab high technology devices. Thirty (30) professional drivers participated and were asked to perform a series of tasks during over-the-road drives involving both open road driving and close car following in both day and night conditions. The requested tasks included looking at right and left mirrors, adjusting CB volume, changing CB frequency, manually tuning the radio, adjusting radio volume, reading clock, reading air pressure, adjusting the heating or air conditioning and calculating available driving hours. Drivers were measured with respect to visual allocation; steering, accelerator, and brake inputs; speed and headway maintenance; and lanekeeping. Results indicated that, to a varying degree, visual allocation measures, several steering measures, speed variance, and several lane position measures are preferable measures for further workload assessment.

Heavy Vehicle Driver Workload Assessment
Heavy Vehicle Driver Workload Assessment

Author: Battelle Memorial Institute

Publisher:

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 16

ISBN-13:

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This report presents the identification of a standard heavy vehicle configuration and driver tasks that would serve as baseline conditions for measuring workload. A subject matter expert and review of Department of Transportation manuals determined that a standard configuration would have the following functional characteristics: combination tractor and single trailer vehicle; conventional cab configuration with sleeper box optional; flat panel dashboard; diesel power with air brakes; and an absence of high-technology devices. Standard driving tasks reviewed in Task 1 and those results were categorized, rewritten for application, and screened by a subject matter expert, thus identifying key driving tasks. A list of basic driver behaviors (sub-tasks) is presented to complement the key driving tasks.

Heavy Vehicle Driver Workload Assessment
Heavy Vehicle Driver Workload Assessment

Author: Battelle Memorial Institute

Publisher:

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 81

ISBN-13:

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Various driving conditions were unidimensionally scaled in terms of order of impact on drivers, and those results are presented and discussed. Safety criticality and difficulty assessment results provided some validation for the scaling outcomes. Visual allocation measures in this study suggested that the use of common-in-cab tasks would serve as baseline measures, based on the revenue runs. Finally, key features considered in evaluating voice communication systems, vehicle navigation and route guidance systems, single/integrated displays, and text communication devices were determined.

Heavy Vehicle Driver Workload Assessment
Heavy Vehicle Driver Workload Assessment

Author: Battelle Memorial Institute

Publisher:

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 152

ISBN-13:

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This report contains a review of available task analytic data and protocols pertinent to heavy vehicle operation and determination of the availability and relevance of such data to heavy vehicle driver workload assessment. Additionally, a preliminary consideration of development of safety-relevant criteria was pursued, and relevance of a review of the relationship between risk-taking behavior and workload was examined. Task analysis data included American, Canadian, and European sources which varied substantially in format and content, and were largely oriented to support training and certification. A variety of protocols including activity analysis, interviews and commentary, driving or protocol analysis, critical incident technique, subjective workload ratings, visual allocation measures, on-the-road driver-vehicle performance monitoring, safety criticality ratings, and rankings were identified. No fully developed methodologies or criteria were found by which to predict accident rates based on workload level, but actuarial, visual allocation of resources, and lanekeeping approaches were presented.

Heavy Vehicle Driver Workload Assessment
Heavy Vehicle Driver Workload Assessment

Author: Battelle Memorial Institute

Publisher:

Published: 1996

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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This report reviews literature on workload measures and related research. It depicts the preliminary development of a theoretical basis for relating driving workload to highway safety and a selective review of driver performance evaluation, workload evaluation in driving contexts, and risk-taking and risk adaptation behavior. An acturial approach to establish the safety relevance of workload measures in discussed in conjunction with a driver resources allocation model of in-cab device workload. The report concludes with the presentation of a driver resources-based taxonomy of in-cab tasks and candidate workload measures and their potential sensitivity to tasks described in the taxonomy.

Heavy Vehicle Driver Workload Assessment
Heavy Vehicle Driver Workload Assessment

Author: Battelle Memorial Institute

Publisher:

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 63

ISBN-13:

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This report adresses the application of a workload assessment protocol and measurement system to empirically assess the degree to which a text message and cellular phone system impose workload on heavy vehicle drivers. Sixteen (16) professional drivers performed over-the-road driving and various conditions of lighting (dark vs. light), road type (divided vs. undivided), and traffic density (high vs. low). Drivers were asked to read a variety of CRT text message impacts visual allocation and lanekeeping and that steering measures were also sensitive to the workload imposed by the CRT messages. Seven- and 10-digit dialing were the manual tasks associated with the highest demand for visual attention, but these tasks did not affect lanekeeping or speed measures. Cellular phone dialogues (cognitive tasks) impacted mirror sampling relative to open road driving. Recommendations for the implementation of the CRT text message system and the cellular phone system in-cab are discussed.