Whole-body vibration exposure in long-nose 10-wheel dumper trucks and some influencing factors

Long-nose 10-wheel dumper trucks are widely used across North America, yet limited data exist on typical whole-body vibration (WBV) exposure for their drivers. This study evaluated typical WBV exposure in fifteen 10-wheelers in two Canadian cities through 116 measurement trials. WBV at the driver seat level was assessed using frequency-weighted root mean square acceleration (a_w) and vibration dose value (VDV), following ISO 2631-1 (1997), using both dominant axis and vector sum approaches. Among 66 typical exposure scenarios, 27 had at least one daily WBV index exceeding the danger limit, indicating likely health risks. Roads travelled, vehicle front suspension characteristics, speed, driver weight, and the seat itself, had a greater influence on WBV exposure than bin loading or pneumatic seat suspension damper count. Moreover, daily VDV indices identified more high-risk cases than acceleration-based indices, highlighting the importance of selecting appropriate WBV metrics as different indices may yield varying interpretations of health risks.