Updates to Trucking Regulations and Driver Hours Behind the Wheel
When trucker fatigue leads to serious injuries or fatal accidents, truck accident attorneys help clients pursue justice and personal injury compensation

September 10, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Federal hours-of-service (HOS) rules maintained by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) limit the time and duration of commercial motor vehicle operation by interstate drivers. The regulatory details are subject to periodic review in light of the latest statistical and scientific research to ensure necessary rest for truckers and promote highway safety. Collaboration with the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies and the National Institute for Occupational Safety is an important part of the process.

The FMCSA proposed new HOS rules in late 2010, and the process is slowly proceeding in Washington with input from industry groups and highway safety advocates. The new rule would impose a limit of 13 hours on duty within the current driving window of 14 hours, and a reduction of actual driving hours from 11 to 10 is also being considered.

Another federal strategy for reducing truck driver accidents caused by driver fatigue is requiring electronic on-board recorders to document a driver's hours of service, instead of the log books commonly known as "cheat sheets." While some companies have already implemented electronic systems because they ensure efficient scheduling of vehicle and driver operations, the FMCSA is confident that mandatory electronic tracking of driving hours would prevent HOS violations and reduce semi crashes.

When a tractor-trailer fully loaded with cargo is involved in a crash with a passenger vehicle or motorcycle, there is no such thing as a level playing field. Commercial drivers must be held to higher standards to keep all drivers safer despite crowded highways, inclement conditions and other travel hazards. When trucker fatigue leads to serious injuries or fatal accidents, those standards provide a clear basis for truck accident attorneys to help clients pursue justice and personal injury compensation.

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