The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently announced several changes to the trucking hours of service rules, which govern how long truck drivers can be on the road and when they must rest to avoid fatigue. Most of the changes don’t go into effect until 2013, but many trucking companies are already complaining that the changes will negatively affect their businesses and may even force them to hire more drivers.
The rule leaves the 11-hour workday intact, which many trucking companies insisted on. However, it reduces the total number of hours a driver may work in seven days from 80 hours to 72 hours. It also requires drivers to take a thirty-minute break within the first eight hours on the road, and it requires drivers who have met their 72-hour weekly limit to sleep between midnight and 5 a.m. during their 34-hour off-duty “restart” period.
Some trucking companies estimate that the reduced number of total work hours drivers can put in each week will cost millions in lost miles that would otherwise have been covered. Many are making plans to hire additional drivers to make up for the lost workload, but many are also predicting that the costs of adding drivers will result in increased costs for shipping – costs that will likely be passed to consumers.
Professional commercial drivers need to make a living, but they also need enough time for sleep, rest, and self-care to allow them to drive safely. At Page Law, our experienced truck accident lawyers in St. Louis are dedicated to fighting on behalf of those injured by a truck driver’s or company’s negligence. For more information on how we can help after a crash, call Page Law today at (314) 322-8515.
