Being a commercial truck driver is one of the most difficult and dangerous jobs in the United States.  Such drivers work long hours under physically and mentally demanding conditions.  To ensure drivers get sufficient rest to allow them to perform their duties safely, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulates the hours truckers may work.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a trucking accident, it may be worth your while to consult an experienced San Francisco trucking accident lawyer to determine if any of these rules were violated.  If so, this may help you prove negligence on the part of the trucker or related parties.

Daily limits

The FMCSA mandates daily and weekly limits on the number of hours commercial truckers may work.

• Generally, truck drivers may work no more than 14 consecutive hours in a day.
• Of these 14 hours, only 11 may be devoted to driving.
• The remaining hours may be devoted to paperwork or tasks such as loading and unloading.
• Once these limits are reached, drivers must spend at least 10 consecutive hours off-duty.

Weekly limits

FMCSA regulations prohibit truck drivers from driving after being on-duty:

• 60 hours over seven consecutive days
• 70 hours over eight consecutive days

This 60- or 70-hour clock only restarts when a driver takes at least 34 consecutive hours off duty.

Why these rules exist

These FMCSA regulations prevent truckers from becoming too fatigued to drive safely.  To help enforce these rules, drivers must log their status throughout the day as:

• Off-duty
• Sleeper berth
• On-duty, not driving
• Driving

However, trucking companies often pay drivers by the mile.  This tempts some drivers to break the rules.  In 2004, the FMCSA proposed a rule asking drivers to maintain supporting documents to verify the entries in their logbooks.  However, this rule was shot down by the trucking industry, and never went into effect.  Trucking accident attorneys deal with countless cases every year involving fatigued truckers and the tragic results of their dulled faculties.

If you or a loved one are involved in a Bay Area trucking accident and suspect the driver involved ignored these FMCSA standards, retain an experienced San Francisco trucking accident law firm.  Bay Area attorneys at such firms can help you determine if federal safety regulations were violated in your case, and how to prove this negligence in a court of law.

Trucking accident lawyers

Serving clients throughout California, The Cartwright Law Firm has been in existence for over 50 years in downtown San Francisco.  In that time, we have recovered tens of millions of dollars for individuals and families struggling to pick up the pieces and start life over again after a serious injury.  For more information regarding our practice, contact the San Francisco trucking accident and personal injury attorneys at The Cartwright Law Firm today.