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Gainesville Truck Driver Hours of Service Regulations/Fatigue Attorneys

Driving while fatigued does not carry the same social stigma as impaired driving, but it causes just as many fatal accidents every year. This is particularly true when the fatigued driver was responsible for operating a large and heavy commercial truck. Truck drivers are particularly likely to drive while they are fatigued, as they work under very tight deadlines as they deliver their cargo.

To prevent accidents from occurring, truckers must comply with federal regulations that dictate how long they can be on the road. Sadly, not all truck drivers and trucking companies comply with these laws. When that is the case and a crash occurs as a result, you should speak to a Gainesville truck driver hours of service regulations/fatigue attorney that can help you claim compensation.

Our Attorney Explains the Hours of Service Regulations

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is the federal body that regulates the trucking industry and issues standards and laws to ensure trucks are safe as they head out on the roads. One of the main FMCSA regulations is the hours of service rule, which stipulates how many hours truck drivers can stay on the road at one time.

Under the FMCSA regulations, truckers can only be behind the wheel for a maximum of 11 hours in any one 24-hour period. Truck drivers are also only allowed to be on duty for 14 hours within a 24-hour period, whether they are driving or not. After being on duty for eight hours, truck drivers must also take a 30 minute break.

The FMCSA regulations also say that a workweek for a truck driver can total seven or eight days, with the trucker working for a total of 60 to 70 hours during that time. If a truck driver works more than 70 hours, or their workweek totals eight days, they must enter a restart period. The restart period must include 34 consecutive hours of rest, and it restarts the trucker in a new workweek.

While these regulations are all intended to keep fatigued truck drivers off the road, they are not always followed. In one year alone, authorities pulled approximately 3,000 trucks off the road for the hours of service rule violation.

Our Attorney Knows the Dangers of Fatigued Truck Drivers

Truck drivers may use many methods to awaken and refresh when they are tired, but few of these work. Remedies such as short rests and caffeine are only temporary, but truckers remain on the road anyway. Fatigued truck drivers will suffer from impaired judgment and delayed reaction times. They may overcorrect if they drift out of their lane or worse, they may fall asleep behind the wheel. All of these factors place anyone on the road near a fatigued driver at great risk of suffering from serious injury or wrongful death.

Call Our Gainesville Truck Driver Hours of Service Regulations/Fatigue Attorney Today

If you or someone you love has been hurt due to a truck driver or trucking company that did not follow the regulations, our Gainesville truck driver hours of service regulations/fatigue attorney can help. At Meldon Law, we have a proven track record of helping victims of serious truck accidents, and we want to put our experience to work for you. Call us today at 800-373-8000 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.

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