Associations of heavy vehicle driver employment type and payment methods with crash involvement in Australia

The heavy vehicle industry is characterized by high levels of competition because the relatively ease of entrance into the industry has resulted in the presence of a large number of carriers. Some heavy vehicle companies use third-party drivers to improve profit margins. Previous research has reported mixed findings regarding the relationship between heavy vehicle driver employment type and crash involvement. Moreover, this relationship has been less explored in Australia than in elsewhere. None of these studies included payment methods despite other reports that they influence safety outcomes. The current study assessed the associations of long-distance heavy vehicle driver employment type and payment methods with crash involvement in Australia. It used existing case-control data collected from 1038 long-distance heavy vehicle drivers in New South Wales and Western Australia between November 2008 and November 2011. Cases were 194 drivers who were involved in a police-attended crash during the survey period. Controls were 844 drivers recruited at truck stops, who were not involved in a crash during the previous 12 months. Driver crash involvement was modelled in an unconditional logistic regression framework after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Owner drivers had lower odds of crash involvement than employee drivers. Drivers paid time- or trip-based rates had lower odds of crash involvement than those paid distance-based rates. Payments for loading and unloading times were associated with lower odds of crash involvement than non-payments for these times. Carrying general or dangerous freight was associated with lower odds of crash involvement than driving empty trucks.