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A fully loaded semi-truck can weigh up to 80,000 pounds and is more challenging to operate than a passenger car. Crashes involving 18-wheelers can cause significantly more damage than accidents involving passenger vehicles. To protect truck drivers and other people who share the road with them, the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA) enacted trucking hours of service rules that specify the number of hours a trucker can be on duty without taking a break.
Trucking hours of service rules regulate the number of hours a truck driver can drive each day and the number of hours they can work in a week. These rules protect the health and safety of truck drivers and the people sharing the road with them.
If a truck driver causes an accident and is in violation of the trucking hours of service rules, a truck accident injury lawyer can use the rule violation to establish negligence on the part of the truck driver, and the trucking company could be held liable for the driver’s dangerous actions.
The trucking industry is intensely competitive, and many trucking companies compete to provide the fastest delivery at the lowest price. This places pressure on truck drivers, who are pushed to deliver loads on time, regardless of traffic, adverse weather conditions, or other factors that are out of their control.
As a result, many truck drivers log long hours behind the wheel, leading to driver fatigue. Research shows that a fatigued driver can suffer from impaired cognition and longer response times and that sleep deprivation can lead to mental impairment similar to driving drunk. When seeking to understand trucking hours of service rules, there are two time frames to consider: the 11-hour rule and the 14-hour rule.
Under the 11-hour rule, a truck driver can operate a commercial vehicle for up to 11 hours at a time. Once a truck driver reaches 11 hours of driving time, they must stop for at least 10 hours of off-duty rest. After a truck driver has been off-duty for at least 10 hours, they can drive another 11-hour shift.
The 14-hour rule states that a truck driver must complete their 11 hours of driving within a 14-hour window. These three extra hours give truck drivers time to stop for meals, perform repairs or required maintenance, or stop for fuel or vehicle inspections. Once a driver reaches the 14-hour limit, they must stop driving, even if they have not driven the full 11 hours.
In addition to following the 11-hour rule and the 14-hour rule, truck drivers must stop for at least 30 minutes every 8 hours on the road. These prescribed intervals for driver downtime are instrumental in preventing fatigue-related accidents, enhancing driver alertness, and promoting overall road safety. By ensuring that truckers take necessary breaks, these rules aim to mitigate the risks associated with prolonged hours on the road and protect both drivers and other road users.
The trucking hours of service rules also set a weekly limit on the number of hours a trucker can drive. The rule focuses on a 7- or 8-day period and limits a truck driver to driving no more than 60 hours within 7 days. If a trucking company sends drivers out every day of the week, a trucker can drive up to 70 hours within 8 days. A trucker can restart their week at any time by taking a 34-hour off-duty break.
There are two important exceptions to the trucking hours of service rules. Under the 16-hour exception, a trucker on a one-day work schedule can be on duty for up to 16 hours, as long as they do not drive for more than 11 hours and they begin and end their shift at the same terminal. A driver who uses the 16-hour exception must then reset their week and cannot be on duty again for 34 hours.
A driver can extend their maximum driving limit by up to 2 hours if they cannot safely complete their run due to adverse weather conditions. This exemption is only available if the driver could not have anticipated the adverse weather before they started driving.
Despite trucking hours of service rules, truck accidents still occur and can cause devastating and catastrophic injuries.
When you hire McKinney Vos to investigate your truck accident injury case, our lawyers will evaluate a truck driver’s hours of service log to assess whether they were in compliance with trucking hours of service rules. If the driver was out of compliance, we can use this fact to help prove that the truck driver, and possibly the company they were working for, were liable for your injuries.
Under Texas negligence per se laws, if a defendant broke a law that was designed to protect public safety and caused the type of harm the law was intended to prevent, the defendant can be found negligent and liable for the harm they caused.
If you were injured or someone you love was killed in a truck accident, contact the Texas truck accident injury lawyers at McKinney Vos today.
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