How Long Is a Trucker Allowed to Drive Between Rest Periods?

October 22, 2014 / 11:13 am

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), several hours of service regulations have been put in place to help prevent truck drivers from falling asleep while driving, such as:

  • Truckers have a daily driving limit of 11 hours.
  • Truckers have a workweek limit of 70 hours.
  • Truckers are required to take a 30-minute break sometime during the first eight hours of a workday.
  • Truckers have a workday limit of 14 hours.
  • Truckers who work a 70-hour workweek are required to rest for 34 consecutive hours before being allowed to resume working.

In September, a Florida tractor-trailer truck wreck occurred when a trucker fell asleep at the wheel. According to Florida Today, the accident happened on State Road 46 at around 2:20 a.m. on a Friday.

Leading up to the crash, the 51-year-old trucker was driving east on SR 46 when he nodded off, according to what he told the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP). After he fell asleep, the truck lost control and collided with two construction barrels and a metal crash barrier, which it reportedly knocked back several feet.

The truck was the only vehicle involved in the wreck and the driver managed to escape injury. As a result of the crash, 75 gallons of diesel fuel spilled onto the roadway, and traffic had to be diverted for hours while the scene was cleaned up and repaired.

Do Trucking Accident Lawsuits Make the Road Safer?

As injury lawyer Deborah Gander discusses in the video below, for victims, in addition to recovering the money they need for lost wages, living expenses and medical bills, a lawsuit can help hold those at fault in trucking accidents accountable. In some cases, without truck accident suits, dangerous practices within the trucking industry might never come to light, which would lead to others falling victim to similar acts of negligence.

Did You Know: Drivers operating a commercial motor vehicle carrying passengers, such as a bus, have a daily driving limit of 10 hours.

Colson Hicks Eidson – Injury Attorneys

Source: http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2014/09/26/state-road-46-mims-reopens-after-crash/16256225/

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