Semitruck and bus drivers have to ensure that they’re well-rested when they get into their vehicles for a trip. One who’s fatigued can avoid critical cues as they’re driving, which can lead to catastrophic crashes.
Because it is critical that these professional drivers get enough rest and avoid driving while fatigued, the federal government has instituted hours of service regulations. These limit the amount of time they can work and drive. The regulations also introduce mandatory rest periods.
What are the Hours of Service regulations?
There are two distinct sets of regulations. One is for truckers who carry property. The other is for drivers who are transporting people.
For truckers who carry property, the daily limit is 11 hours of driving. If they have other work duties to perform that do not involve driving, the trucker can’t drive once they’ve been doing any work for a total of 14 hours.
For professional drivers carrying people, the daily limit is 10 hours. They can’t drive once they’ve been on duty for 15 hours total, including other work duties being performed.
Besides the daily limit, there’s also a cumulative total limit. Passenger-carrying drivers can’t drive more than 60 hours in seven consecutive days or 70 hours in eight consecutive days. For property-carrying truckers, the cumulative days count restarts if they go at least 34 consecutive hours completely off duty.
When a victim is involved in a crash with a semitruck, they will likely need medical care. That care can be expensive, so they may opt to pursue a compensation claim. This can help them to recover the medical expenses, as well as other financial impacts, of the crash, but seeking compensation must be done quickly because of the statute of limitations.