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.
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:
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.
