Semi-trucks and other large vehicles tend to make some drivers nervous. This is because the size alone of these vehicles can make an accident devastating. Fortunately, there are regulations in place that are designed to prevent accidents and to create a safer highway.
Here are three rules that all truckers have to follow when on the job.
Being Late Isn’t an Excuse
When truckers are late, some people assume that they can drive through the night to make it to the destination on time. In reality, there are federal regulations for how long a trucker can actively be on the road. These are known as hours-of-service regulations. In 14 hours, truckers are only allowed to drive for up to 11 hours at a time. The point of this rule is to stop truckers from driving while fatigued, just because they need to reach the destination in time.
Logbooks Are a Must
A trucker’s responsibility extends beyond driving cargo to and from the destination. Truckers have to keep a logbook. Their logs are detailed with how many hours they drive per day, how often they take breaks and detail of the route that they take. Every time that they make a stop, they have to log it. Law enforcement has access to all of these records.
Breaks Are Regulated
A lot of people believe that truckers have the freedom to pick when they take a break or if they take a break at all. After all, those who are familiar with working for themselves or under a contract without strict working hours know that you can set your breaks. If you want to work through lunch, you can.
Truckers have to be more regulated, however. While they can choose not to take breaks at certain times, they do have to take into consideration the work to break ratio. If a trucker drives for eight hours, then he or she has to stop for at least 30 minutes. If a driver has to drive for 14 hours, then he or she has to take at least 10 hours off before driving again.
The size of a big rig alone can make it more dangerous than most passenger vehicles. Without regulations, more accidents are likely to occur. If you were recently in an accident with a trucker, contact a truck accident lawyer, like from MartinWren, P.C. There is a chance he or she was not following the federal regulations.