Driver Health, Fatigue, and Fitness to Drive
Fitness-to-drive questions test the 点呼 system and the driver’s duty to disclose. The operator runs the check; the driver must not treat it as a formality.
The pre-trip check
At 点呼, the 運行管理者 confirms health, fatigue, alcohol, and medication. Use the alcohol detector; a professional bus driver should have no alcohol. Report fever, dizziness, drowsiness, visual disturbance, or a new medicine that may impair driving. Post-trip 点呼 closes the loop.
Fatigue and health
- 過労運転 is prohibited. Long driving, split shifts, and poor sleep raise risk.
- Sleep apnoea screening and treatment matter for commercial drivers; untreated daytime sleepiness is a safety defect, not a personal weakness.
- Working-hour rules under the 改善基準告示 and the 2024 work-style reform cap excessive hours; the exam tests the principle, not just the numbers.
- If unfit after departure, stop safely and contact the operator rather than “pushing through”.
Worked example
A driver takes a cold medicine labelled “may cause drowsiness” before a morning shift. At 点呼 he reports it. The 運行管理者 assigns another driver. Reasoning: the medicine impairs alertness; the legal and operational answer is not to drive, not to “see how it goes”.
Traps
- Hiding fatigue or alcohol because the roster is short-staffed.
- Assuming coffee, fresh air, or a short nap cancels impairment.
- Skipping 点呼 or signing for another driver.
- Driving with an untreated sleep disorder or an sedating antihistamine.