What are a Truck Driver’s Hours of Service?

Truck Drivers Are Federally Regulated

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has set forth federal regulations as to a truck driver’s hours of service.  Hours of service are defined as the number of hours a truck driver is permitted to be behind-the-wheel of his truck driving on public or private roads.  These truck driving hours of service regulations require a truck driver to take 10 (ten) hours of rest after driving an 11 (eleven) hour shift.  Further, if in a seven (7) day period they drive 60 (sixty) hours, or in an eight (8) day period they drive 70 (seventy) hours, they are required to take a mandatory thirty-four (34) rest period before resuming delivery of their cargo.  In an attempt to guarantee compliance with these regulations, the Department of Transportation requires truck drivers to maintain a log of their trips which must account for everyday their truck is being driven, whether or not they are hauling cargo.

Truck Drivers May Attempt To Violate Safety Regulations

Some truck drivers attempt to violate these rules by failing to or incorrectly filling in their trip log, but if they are caught falsifying their log, they (and their trucking company) may face punitive fines.  Some truck drivers also drive in tandem, where truck drivers will take shifts where one drives while the other sleeps, and they continue to alternate back and forth where they test the limits of these regulations which are in place to protect the other drivers on the road from these truck drivers.

Injured in a Trucking Accident?

If you or a loved one has been injured by a truck driver’s negligence, or by a truck driver who has not followed these federal statutory regulations, please contact one of our Trucking Accident Attorneys for a free consultation. 

Call us today at 800-704-8237 for a FREE consultation.