Could an Inspection of Logbooks Save Driver’s Lives?

Federal regulations taking effect in 2013, including truck driver’s logbooks, were designed to improve safety and reduce the likelihood of driver fatigue. Logbooks would essentially keep track of how often truck drivers would place themselves on the roadways during a workweek. New hours of service limited the average workweek to 70 hours, resting periods of 34 hours, and a requirement for truck drivers to take a 30-minute break during the first eight hours of a shift.

Driver fatigue has been one of the biggest negotiations in the trucking industry when speaking of new regulations and what they would entail. Drowsy driving can lead to catastrophic effects, such as severe accidents and injuries, all the way to fatalities. The collisions that ensue due to drowsy driving are so serious because of the large size and weight of commercial trucks versus the other motor vehicles sharing the roadways.

FMCSA’s New Rule 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has implemented the new hours-of-service rule to reduce the likelihood of these accidents occurring on America’s roadways. It has been estimated by FMCSA that, due to these new rules, an average of 26 lives will be saved as well as 562 injuries prevented every year. More and more trucking companies will be switching from Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) instead of their typical paper logbooks, which companies can then keep track of. This is because many truck drivers in the past have attempted to get away with fraudulent record keeping involving paper logbooks despite the fact that many more will responsibly log their hours.

Over the next few years, FMCSA as well as trucking companies hope to see great results from these changes. However, no matter what safety techniques are implemented, not all accidents will be preventable. This is why you should have an attorney on your side who understands the seriousness of trucking accidents and can help you every step of the way after you have been injured. Call us at Maggiano, DiGirolamo & Lizzi today!