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Hours of service rules designed to prevent fatigued truck drivers

On Behalf of | Dec 18, 2020 | Truck Accidents

When people drive their vehicles in Dallas it is important that they follow the rules of the road and avoid distractions. This is particularly important for truck drivers. The trucks they drive are so much larger than the other vehicles on the road that even if they are in what may seem like minor accidents, they can result in major damage and injuries to the others involved in the truck accident.

To help ensure this does not occur there are many rules that truck drivers must follow. One of these rules is designed to ensure that truck drivers are not driving fatigue or drowsy. When drivers lose concentration due to fatigue, they may misjudge the speed of traffic, not check before changing lanes or close their eyes. All of these behaviors can lead to very dangerous situations for the drivers and the other cars on the road. Therefore, there are strict hours of service laws that state how long drivers can work per day and how many consecutive hours they can work.

Hours of service rules

Truck drivers are only allowed to work for a period of 14 hours after they have had at least 10 hours off of work. In those 14 hours, they are only allowed to be driving for a total of 11 of those hours. In addition to these limitations, they must take at least a 30-minute break after driving for a period of eight hours.

There are also regulations for the number of hours they can work per week. In a seven-day period they cannot work for more than 60 hours or 70 hours in an eight-day period of time. After the seven or eight-day period they must not work for at least 34 hours before starting the next seven or eight-day period.

When truck drivers in the Dallas area break these regulations, it is easy to become fatigued. If they cause an accident due to their fatigue, they may be required to compensate the victims for the damages they caused. The compensation can include paying for the medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering and other damages. Experienced attorneys understand how devastating these accidents can be and may be able to help make one whole.