Driving any vehicle while tired can be dangerous. This is something people in Pennsylvania are well aware of yet this is something that commercial truckers, especially those who operate long-haul routes, may do on a regular basis. Fatigue can negatively impact a person’s judgment and reaction times, thereby increasing the chance of making an incorrect action and getting into an accident.
The federal government agency that oversees commercial trucking appears to have become aware that fatigued driving among truckers was a problem as it instituted new rules designed to address this issue. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration calls these regulations the Hours of Service rule. In essence, the HoS dictates when a trucker may or may not drive with the intent being to prevent operation while tired.
Truckers who transport goods may drive up to 11 hours per day and each working day must only begin after the driver has been off duty for at least 10 hours. A single day of work may last 14 hours, allowing truckers time to perform non-driving duties each day as well. A single working week can last seven or eight days. A seven-day week can include up to 60 hours worked and an eight-hour work week can include up to 70 hours of working time.
If you would like to learn more about what things you should do to protect yourself and your loved ones after a trucking accident has happened, please feel free to visit the compensation and assistance page of our Pennsylvania personal injury and truck accident website.