An Attempt to Make US Roads Safer from Big Rigs

Posted by Chell in Car Accidents, Personal Injury, Trucking Accidents

Handling a vehicle that weighs about 80,000 lbs. or 40 tons and which extends up to 70 feet is a huge challenge, especially if you have been driving for 11 hours straight and is behind schedule. Thus, being so big and if driven by a drowsy or intoxicated driver, trucks would pose great on the road, particularly to smaller vehicles. These road mammoths would easily crush any vehicle (and its driver) that will block their path.

Accidents involving motor vehicles are the leading cause of injury and death in the United States – this is factual information stated in the website of Schuler, Halvorson, Weisser, Zoeller & Overbeck, P.A.. The need to drastically bring down the number of fatalities and severe injuries has prompted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) of the US Department of Transportation, the division in charge of trucking and all other transportation-related industries, to issue a standard for training before recognizing a driver as worthy of earning a commercial driver’s license and mandate the maximum number of hours that a driver can render.

Despite the extra training and education on how to operate and handle a truck properly, FMCSA states that:

• Drivers can render duty for a maximum of 14 consecutive hours
• Maximum driving time is 11 hours, which is within the 14-consecutive-hour duty period (the extra 3 hours ought to be allotted for rest/sleep)
• Drivers should be off-duty for the next 10 hours following his/her 14 hours of service

Trucks are designed with a sleeper berth area where drivers can take their much needed rest between drives or anytime they feel fatigued or drowsy. Trucking firms should ensure their drivers’ strict compliance with all stipulations that promote road safety to ensure smooth and totally safe traffic flow. Everyone needs to understand that even a small driving mistake can result in a serious accident that can destroy properties and take lives. As Williams Kherkher explains on the Truck Accident Resource Center, “Trucking regulations exist to not only help the truck driver, but also other motorists who share the road with these big rigs.”