[legitster]

Part of the thing is that long haul truckers themselves often prefer these hours. They would rather just get the trip over with and back to their family than spend 16 hours at a motel in Coldfoot, and pocket the difference.

They could run double crews but you don't get that much consolation sitting in a passenger seat vs a drivers seat.

[gambiting]

Obviously - I know many European truckers who hate these regulations. Most will tell you stories of being stuck 30 minutes away from home but being unable to drive a little bit longer because the fines are Draconian and with electronic logging you can't fake it.

And honestly, from like a human standpoint - I get that. But these rules are there to ensure their safety as well as the safety of everyone else on the road. Tiredness is a massive factor in accidents, and I'm sure we've all driven a little bit more than reasonable "because I'm almost home". Being a trucker is a profession so it has professional standards.

[legitster]

Tired truckers is a conversation that comes up in the US somewhat regularly. And some states are imposing more serious regulations. But I don't think we are seeing it enough as a cause of accidents to treat it like a crisis. As other commenters have pointed out, for long-haul trucking in the US (and other rural areas) you are mostly dealing with highway driving on pretty desolate routes. Mile for mile truckers in the US are still some of the safest drivers.

I think Alaska just stretches this to the extreme given the unique experiences. Just having truckers pull off to the side of the road in Tundra 300 miles away from services is probably a MUCH bigger safety liability than long hours.