As any Missouri Truck Accident Attorney can attest, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrations has established a number of regulations that cover many aspects of commercial motor vehicle operation.  One of the areas covered by this federal body is how many hours a truck driver can be one the road.  These regulations are known as hours of service regulations.  These regulations regulate how long a truck driver may drive and also be on-duty during a specific time period.  The laws also require a minimum off-duty period before the truck driver can start working again.

Hours of Service rules were promulgated with one reason in mind, to prevent truck driver fatigue.  Driver fatigue is a big reason responsible for truck crashes and truck companies are notorious for turning a blind eye and persuading their drivers to drive over hours.  To avoid responsibility, it is not uncommon for them to eliminate crucial evidence such as drivers logs, fuel receipts, qualcomm tracking data, and other evidence that would prove to a jury that the truck company’s driver exceeded the hours of service rules.  The reason they do this is because evidence of hours of service violations is often sufficient for a court to allow punitive damages.

The laws used to be that a commercial truck driver could not drive more than twelve hours.  This included a maximum of fifteen consecutive on-duty hours and a minimum of 9 off-duty hours.  Then, in 1939, the regulations changed.  Truck drivers could not operate their trucks more than 10 consecutive hours.  The on-duty requirement was abolished, but off-duty hours had to be a minimum of 8 hours.  Then, more changes occurred in 1962.  In that year, driving hours remained at a capped maximum of 10 consecutive hours. But the on-duty limit was changed to 14 hours.  Still, drivers were required to remain off duty for 8 hours but a new minimum cycle limit of 18 hours was established.  These regulations lasted for nearly three decades until 2003.  In that year, property carrying vehicles were limited to driving no more than 11 hours, being on-duty no more than 14 consecutive hours, and they had to be off duty for 10 consecutive hours before coming back on.  A <a href=”http://www.the-truckaccident-lawyer.com”>Missouri Truck Accident Lawyer</a> will be able to any questions you may have about specific trucking regulations.  For this reason, you should not hesitate to contact one if you have any questions regarding the limits imposed on the number of hours that a trucker can drive.

Of course, the danger of a fatigued driver is obvious.  Tired truck drivers cause truck accidents that can lead to catastrophic injuries or even death.  A <a href=”http://www.the-truckaccident-lawyer.com”>Missouri Truck Accident Lawyer</a> will be extremely familiar with the federal regulations that govern how many a hours a truck driver can be on the road.

For more information on US Law in the State of Missouri pertaining to truck drivers, truck accidents or violations of truckers HOS, you may contact a Local <a href=”http://www.the-truckaccident-lawyer.com”>Missouri Truck Accident Lawyer</a> available in your area.
To learn more about the federal regulations and Missouri’s laws pertaining to truck drivers, truck accidents, and hours of service violations, contact a <a href=”http://www.the-truckaccident-lawyer.com”>Missouri Truck Accident Lawyer</a>.