Elizabethtown Trucking Accident: Truck Driver Hours of Service Rules

In the United States we depend heavily on tractor-trailers to move goods across town and across the country. Our dependence on big rigs means that at any given time there is an average of 600,000 semis on the nation’s roadways. Unfortunately, the pervasiveness of large trucks means that they are involved in a disproportionate number of collisions each year. Often, fatigue is a contributing factor when a tractor-trailer is involved in a collision. Federal “Hours of Service” rules are intended to prevent drowsy driving by truckers; however, the rules are not always followed and, even when they are, may fall short of protecting drivers and others on the roadways.

Until the 1970s, truck drivers roamed the nation’s roadways largely unchecked. Existing regulations were not enforced and truck drivers were left to set their own agenda. This led to widespread drug use and reckless driving by truckers. Much of this was because truck drivers are often paid by the mile or by the load, providing incentive to get to a destination as fast as possible and to keep “truckin” even past the point of exhaustion. Not surprisingly, this also led to numerous catastrophic tractor-trailer accidents. In response to the obvious dangers these “giants” of the roadway pose, the U.S. Federal Government began imposing rules and regulations that are intended to prevent drivers from being on the road past the point of exhaustion. Known as the “Hours of Service” rules or HOS they indicate how frequently a trucker must stop for breaks and how many hours a driver may drive in a given week. Drivers are required to keep track of how far they have driven and how many hours they have been on the road in log books. Unfortunately, this self-reporting often leads to abuse.

While most trucking companies in Elizabethtown, as well as the drivers who drive for them, are law-abiding and adhere to the HOS regulations, it only takes one to deviate from those rules to cause a tragedy. A truck driver who has been on the road for too long is a danger to himself/herself as well as to everyone who crosses the truck’s path.

If you have been injured in an Elizabethtown trucking accident and the truck driver was at fault there is a chance that the driver was operating the truck while fatigued as a result of being on the road for too many hours. If that turns out to be the case, proving negligence will be much easier, meaning you should have an easier time negotiating compensation for your injuries. Contact an experienced Elizabethtown trucking accident attorney to determine what legal options you have.