Government Will Issue New Rule to Shorten Truckers’ Hours of Service
The Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) have agreed to change truck drivers’ hours-of-service regulations. This is a move by the Obama Administration to settle a lawsuit brought by several consumer safety advocacy groups including Public Citizen, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Truck Safety Coalition and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The action was filed after a ruling issued by the Bush administration dramatically expanded driving and working hours by allowing truckers to drive up to 11 consecutive hours instead of 10 per shift. That rule also cut off-duty rest and recovery time at the end of the week from a full weekend of 50 or more hours to as little as 34 hours.
This created an extremely dangerous situation on our roadways putting tired and fatigued truckers on the road. This settlement basically requires the government to draft a new proposed rule governing hours of service within nine months and to publish a final rule within 21 months.
As Washington truck accident attorneys, we at The Bernard Law Group welcome this settlement. Every day, truck drivers fall asleep in their cabs because they work too long with too little rest, causing catastrophic accidents. Very often, truck companies allow this to happen and even encourage their drivers to falsify logs because they want to increase their profits by delivering more goods within a shorter period of time. Unrealistic schedules and truckers’ extremely long work hours combine to make a deadly combination, which results in tragedies for the driving public.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a Washington truck accident, the skilled and aggressive Seattle personal injury attorneys at The Bernard Law Group can help. We will make sure that your legal rights are protected and that you are compensated fairly for the injuries and losses you have suffered as a result of someone else’s negligence. Call Kirk Bernard today for a free consultation and evaluation of your Washington truck accident claim.
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