Monitoring Technologies for Truck Drivers: A Systematic Review of Safety and Driving Behavior

Truck drivers are essential to global freight operations but face disproportionate safety risks due to fatigue, distraction, and demanding working conditions, all of which significantly elevate crash likelihood. This systematic review assesses how monitoring technologies have been used to improve sa...

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Main Authors: Tiago Fonseca, Sara Ferreira
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/12/6513
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author Tiago Fonseca
Sara Ferreira
author_facet Tiago Fonseca
Sara Ferreira
author_sort Tiago Fonseca
collection DOAJ
description Truck drivers are essential to global freight operations but face disproportionate safety risks due to fatigue, distraction, and demanding working conditions, all of which significantly elevate crash likelihood. This systematic review assesses how monitoring technologies have been used to improve safety among professional truck drivers, focusing on the types of technologies deployed, the variables monitored, and reported safety outcomes. Conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, the review includes 40 peer-reviewed articles published in English between 2009 and 2024, identified through systematic searches in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore. Due to methodological heterogeneity, a formal risk of bias assessment was not conducted. Most studies examined wearable devices, in-vehicle cameras, telematics systems, and AI-driven platforms. These technologies monitored variables such as fatigue, stress, distraction, speed, and environmental conditions. While the findings demonstrate considerable potential to enhance safety outcomes, persistent challenges include implementation costs, privacy concerns, and variability in effectiveness. The evidence is also geographically concentrated in high-income regions, limiting broader applicability. This review highlights the urgent need for harmonized evaluation frameworks, robust validation protocols, and context-sensitive strategies to support the effective adoption of monitoring technologies in the trucking sector.
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spelling doaj-art-7ccf8a2fd21d4c29a6f8267d5bc8cf492025-06-25T13:25:02ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-06-011512651310.3390/app15126513Monitoring Technologies for Truck Drivers: A Systematic Review of Safety and Driving BehaviorTiago Fonseca0Sara Ferreira1Department of Civil and Georesources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, 4200-465 Porto, PortugalCITTA—Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, 4200-465 Porto, PortugalTruck drivers are essential to global freight operations but face disproportionate safety risks due to fatigue, distraction, and demanding working conditions, all of which significantly elevate crash likelihood. This systematic review assesses how monitoring technologies have been used to improve safety among professional truck drivers, focusing on the types of technologies deployed, the variables monitored, and reported safety outcomes. Conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, the review includes 40 peer-reviewed articles published in English between 2009 and 2024, identified through systematic searches in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore. Due to methodological heterogeneity, a formal risk of bias assessment was not conducted. Most studies examined wearable devices, in-vehicle cameras, telematics systems, and AI-driven platforms. These technologies monitored variables such as fatigue, stress, distraction, speed, and environmental conditions. While the findings demonstrate considerable potential to enhance safety outcomes, persistent challenges include implementation costs, privacy concerns, and variability in effectiveness. The evidence is also geographically concentrated in high-income regions, limiting broader applicability. This review highlights the urgent need for harmonized evaluation frameworks, robust validation protocols, and context-sensitive strategies to support the effective adoption of monitoring technologies in the trucking sector.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/12/6513monitoring systemdriver assistanceroad safetydriver behaviortruck
spellingShingle Tiago Fonseca
Sara Ferreira
Monitoring Technologies for Truck Drivers: A Systematic Review of Safety and Driving Behavior
Applied Sciences
monitoring system
driver assistance
road safety
driver behavior
truck
title Monitoring Technologies for Truck Drivers: A Systematic Review of Safety and Driving Behavior
title_full Monitoring Technologies for Truck Drivers: A Systematic Review of Safety and Driving Behavior
title_fullStr Monitoring Technologies for Truck Drivers: A Systematic Review of Safety and Driving Behavior
title_full_unstemmed Monitoring Technologies for Truck Drivers: A Systematic Review of Safety and Driving Behavior
title_short Monitoring Technologies for Truck Drivers: A Systematic Review of Safety and Driving Behavior
title_sort monitoring technologies for truck drivers a systematic review of safety and driving behavior
topic monitoring system
driver assistance
road safety
driver behavior
truck
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/12/6513
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