Truck Safety Rules

Truck Safety Rules Truck drivers and their employers carry a heavy responsibility to make sure that their big rigs do not pose a hazard to other vehicles on the highway. Unfortunately the pressures to make a profit or to increase the driver’s or operator’s income sometimes result in decisions which endanger the traveling public. Drivers are often tempted to push the limits of the rules, particularly in failing to observe the required rest requirements. Any truck driver who is on the road in a tired condition poses a serious hazard. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has promulgated new rules designed to increase highway safety. The updated rules provide: • An 11-hour driving limit (unchanged) with a requirement of a 30-minute break before 8 consecutive hours of driving • During the 34-hour “restart” or off duty time, there must be at least two consecutive nighttime periods lasting from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Although the agency has been criticized for its failure to adopt more stringent requirements, especially leaving the 11-hour limit rather than going to 10 hours which many safety advocates were pushing, according to the agency, “The purpose of the rule is to limit the ability of drivers to work the maximum number of hours currently allowed, or close to the maximum, on a continuing basis to reduce the possibility of driver fatigue. Long daily and weekly hours are associated with an increased risk of crashes and with the chronic health conditions associated with lack of sleep. These changes will affect only the small minority of drivers who regularly work the longer hours.” The FMCSA is constantly reviewing its rules to improve safety, but without compliance on the part of drivers, the risks remain high, and truck accidents remain a cause of catastrophic highway crashes.