Role of Driver Hearing in Commercial Motor Vehicle Operation: An Evaluation of the FHWA Hearing Requirement

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Role of Driver Hearing in Commercial Motor Vehicle Operation: An Evaluation of the FHWA Hearing Requirement

G. S. Robinson / J. G. Casali / S. E. Lee

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) currently requires that all interstate truck drivers have a certain minimal level of hearing in order to obtain a commercial driver's licence. A research program was undertaken to determine whether this hearing requirement is necessary, and if so, whether the requirement is set at the correct audiometric level. This was a multi-part project. The first segment of the project consisted of an extensive literature review on the topics of commercial truck driving and hearing, the effects of occupational noise exposure, and truck-cab noise. Another extensive segment of the literature review concerned the effectiveness of the forced-whisper test, which is one of two methods by which the FHWA allows truck driver hearing to be tested. No firm conclusions could be reached on any of these topics based solely on the literature review, but several interesting research questions and needs were identified as a result thereof.