Commercial Trucking Accidents - Driver Fatigue
There are a variety of factors capable of causing commercial trucking accidents. One of the more common commercial truck accident causes is that of driver fatigue. Various steps have been taken by the employers of "company drivers" to ensure that their truckers do not succumb to fatigue. The most obvious reason for driver fatigue is the logging of too many driving hours combined with too little sleep.
As of 2005, federal regulation prohibits commercial truck drivers from logging more than 10 consecutive hours on duty. Similarly, commercial truck drivers are also prohibited from driving for more than 11 hours in a single day. Commercial truck drivers are prohibited from accumulating more than 60 hours of driving time for a single week. Similarly, they are prohibited from accumulating more than 70 hours of driving time over-the-course of eight consecutive days. In addition to the aforementioned federal regulations, commercial truck drivers may also have to abide by specific state regulations.
In order to ensure that commercial truck drivers are adhering to federal and state regulations, employers require their drivers to maintain a log in which they document hours/miles on the road, driving start/stop times and hours of sleep attained. Unfortunately, the logs are not a fool-proof method of monitoring driver adherence to drive-time regulations as logs are often manipulated or faked after-the-fact.
Regardless of the federal and state restrictions, commercial truck drivers often find themselves on strict transportation deadlines. Delays are commonplace and can significantly alter a commercial truck driver's schedule. Drivers might opt to bypass the regulations in order to meet these deadlines. It is during times like these that they are most likely to succumb to driver fatigue, significantly increasing the chance of causing an accident.
Since employers are liable for commercial trucking accidents caused by their company drivers, it is of the utmost importance that they emphasize the importance of drive-time regulations. They must take steps towards reducing the chances of accidents and are advised to perform routine audits on driver log books so as to ensure adherence to drive-time regulations. Log book audits can also help to indicate any inconsistencies that might be reflective of fake log entries.
If you are injured or a loved one is killed by a defect in a commercial vehicle or the negligence of a driver of a commercial vehicle you need our expertise. The south Texas area is one of the busiest commercial trucking corridors in the nation. Unfortunately, not all drivers are correctly trained and not all commercial vehicles are well maintained. If a driver's negligence due to driver fatigue or a defective commercial vehicle causes serious injury or death, then the attorneys of the Law Office of Pat Maloney have the experience you need to receive the proper compensation.
The attorneys of the Law Offices of Pat Maloney are specialists in helping victims of accidents and injuries caused by negligence of others. Our offices are in San Antonio. We represent persons for San Antonio, around Texas and across the country. Contact our offices at 800 247 7694 or locally at 210 226 8888.
The attorneys of the law offices of Pat Maloney are personal injury lawyers in San Antonio Texas who protect victims of defective products, commercial trucking accidents, auto accidents, and medical malpractice. They can also help with crashworthiness issues related to defective automobiles including SUV rollover, roof crush, defective airbags and defective seat belts.