The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)’s Hours of Service rules have long set limits on how long truck drivers may drive without a rest and how long they must spend resting when they stop. After reviewing new research on truck driver fatigue and human sleep patterns, the administration has revised the Hours of Service rules to require more rest, according to a FMCSA press release.
The new rules limit drivers to a total of 70 hours of driving in any seven-day period, down from 82 hours previously. They also keep the current limit of 11 hours per day behind the wheel. Drivers may not drive more than 11 hours in any 24-hour period; while they are not required to sleep in the remaining 13 hours of the day, they are not allowed to drive their trucks during this time. Most drivers take the opportunity to sleep and eat during their “down time,” however.
In addition, the new rules require drivers to take a thirty-minute break for each eight hours of driving. This break should be taken when the driver feels tired, and it can be taken any time within the eight-hour period. Drivers are also required to take at least 24 hours off every seven days, and are expected to sleep between 10:00 pm and 5:00 am during this time, which is the time of day when the human sleep cycle makes people sleepiest and least able to focus on a task like driving, according to new research.
Once a driver has been off for 34 consecutive hours, the weekly “clock” resets, and the driver can start adding hours toward the next 70-hours-in-7-days limit.
Driver fatigue is a major factor in many serious accidents, and truck drivers are not exempt from fatigue’s risks. If you or someone you love has been injured in a truck accident, please don’t hesitate to call the experienced Missouri truck accident attorneys at Page Law. Call us today at (314) 322-8515 for a free and confidential consultation.
For more information on the dangers of truck accidents, watch this video:
