Aim: The aim of this study is to describe the relationship between sleep behaviour and sleepiness in long-distance truck drivers. Methods: A collective of 256 drivers was interviewed by means of questionnaires, 104 of the drivers also took part in a pupillographic test. Results: 43 % (25 %) of the drivers reported having fallen asleep at the wheel during the previous year (month). The results of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale indicated daytime sleepiness in nearly 20 % of the subjects. 5.4 % of the drivers were suspected of suffering from sleep apnoea. No statistically significant association could be found between the pupillary unrest index and any other study parameters. Only about 20 % of the interviewed drivers had ever had been in contact with occupational medicine. Conclusion: The extent and kind of occupational-medical support of long-distance truck drivers should be improved.
