New Federal Safety Rule Limits the Number of
Hours Truckers May Drive in New Mexico and Nationwide
New Federal Safety Rule Limits the Number of
Hours Truckers May Drive in New Mexico and Nationwide, New Mexico Truck Accident Lawyer Blog, July 16, 2013 Additional Resources:
Federal laws regulated by FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) provide protocols, rules and practices that restrict the number of
hours truckers are allowed to drive.
There are limits to the number of
hours truckers are permitted to drive, and they must also take regular rest breaks.
The FMCSA also regulates most large trucks and imposes myriad safety rules including requirements for routine inspections and limits on
the hours a trucker can drive before taking a rest break.
These studies have prompted stricter regulations on the number of consecutive
hours a trucker...
These regulations establish how many
hours a trucker can drive before they take a resting break and how long their off - duty time must be, among other things.
that restrict how many
hours a trucker can stay on the road without resting, and the driver or the trucking company could be to blame if these rules were violated.
Not exact matches
U.S.
truckers are required to rest 10
hours for every 11 they drive.
The company claims its service conserves one gallon of fuel per idling
hour per truck, and with more than one million
truckers on the road at any given time, the savings add up — so far, says Wilson, eight million gallons of fuel have been saved, 83,000 metric tons of emissions have been eliminated, and 150,000 road cowboys have plugged in.
For example, if you want to ship cargo from Montreal to Los Angeles, you hire a
trucker, the load sits idle while he sleeps or eats, it takes 120
hours, and if he doesn't find a load to make the return trip, it'll cost you a bundle.
New legislation also places additional restrictions on the
hours of service
truckers can spend on the road without taking a break, making the uninterrupted schedule Railex offers even more attractive to potential customers.
Because this client is unemployed herself, her husband, a
trucker, works extra
hours to ensure that the family is provided for and that the medical bills are covered.
Truckers can drive no more than 11
hours every day and restrict total worktime to 14
hours every 24
hours.
One study of 1,249
truckers in Connecticut, Florida, Oklahoma, and Oregon revealed that almost three - fourths of the respondents violated the
hours of service rules.
For example, a judge may determine that the truck driver was drowsy, driving too fast and driving too many
hours, but if a collision happened when the motorist was in the truck's blind spot, the driver may share some of the liability with the
trucker.
How did the December 2014 budget deal impact the
hours of service rules for
truckers?
While
truckers may not mean to cause harm, their decision to text, drink and drive or exceed the
Hours - of - Service rules and drive while fatigued can have dire consequences.
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration,
truckers» driving shifts are legally not supposed to exceed 14
hours of driving in one stretch.
Most commercial
truckers who work 60
hours through seven consecutive days are required to take at least 34
hours off in order to have two full nights of sleep, according to the FMCSA.
In fact, federal regulations designed to prevent tired
truckers are known as
Hours - of - Service rules, and they place strict limitations on how long drivers can be behind the wheel and on duty, and when and for how long they must take breaks.
Federal
Hours - of - Service regulations limit the amount of time
truckers can spend on the road.
In addition to sitting in an idle position for many
hours every day while transporting goods, equipment and materials, many
truckers are required to load and unload heavy cargo causing additional injury.
For example, a semi-truck driver may carelessly run a red light or experience drowsiness because his employer allowed the
trucker to drive for too many
hours straight, leading to a crash.
In order to enforce these rules, a
trucker is required to keep a log of each 24 -
hour period and chart exactly what they were doing every
hour of every day.
Truckers travel at all
hours and use a variety of roads.
Truckers must rest 10
hours before driving and can only drive for 14
hours before stopping to rest again for another 10 -
hour period.
The Department of Transportation has introduced mandatory maximum working
hours for
truckers since they have proven that fatigued drivers are unable stay alert enough to handle the numerous road hazards they face while driving.
These regulations require that
truckers are only on the road for eleven out of fourteen
hours.
However, a three -
hour break is not very long, and just because a
trucker is not physically driving, it does not mean that he or she is going to sleep.
More Blog Posts: Commercial
Trucker Hours - of - Service Regulations Invoked in Wrongful Death Lawsuit, Indiana Injury Lawyer blog, November 23, 2012 Law Allowing Wrongful Death Claims for Unborn Children Used for First Time in Car Accident Lawsuit: Baumann v. Slezak, et al, Indiana Injury Lawyer Blog, November 16, 2012
In addition, the
trucker is required to remain off duty from any work for 10 consecutive
hours before the starting their next shift.
The rules allow
truckers to work no more than 14
hours each day of which only 11
hours maximum is available for driving.
In addition, the
trucker's employer (the trucking company or truck owner) needs to monitor the
trucker's actual
hours of service and ensure that the driver's logs contain accurate information.
Catastrophic accidents are often the result of
truckers violating federal rules and regulations concerning the number of
hours they are allowed to drive.
Where commuters might wait until they get home to return a phone call, a
trucker may not stop driving for several more
hours, increasing the temptation to use a phone while behind the wheel.
According to federal trucking regulations,
truckers can not drive more than 70
hours in a week or more than 11
hours after 10 consecutive
hours off.
Truckers are often required to drive long
hours before taking a resting break or they have to drive during night
hours.
Truckers are subject to
Hours of Service (HOS) regulations as set up by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
The companies can compel
truckers to drive far too many
hours or at great speed to meet their schedule.
Can not drive after the 14th
hour of coming on duty (e.g., if the
trucker starts his / her day at 6:00 am, he / she can not drive after 8:00 pm that night)
If the
trucker violated traffic laws or
hour limits, or the truck company was negligent for failing to maintain the vehicle, we can pursue a lawsuit against the company.
Truckers know the importance of being active, as long
hours at the wheel can take a toll on the body.
Is your priority to gain access to the fabled
trucker lifestyle or shorter
hours?