Federal Agency Agrees to Revise 11-Hour Trucking Rule to Minimize Accident Risk
As Indiana truck accident lawyers, we have strongly opposed the rule allowing truckers to drive for up to 11 consecutive hours, increased from the earlier 10 hours. Now, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has agreed to revise the 11-hour trucking rule, and has promised to come up with a new rule for trucking hours within the next nine months.
There is no indication yet about what those new working hours will be, but as Indiana truck accident lawyers, we hope that the agency reverts back to the old 10-hour rules that were in place for 60 years before the former administration decided that truckers can do with one additional hour of pressure everyday.
Every year, thousands of truck accidents can be traced to tired, drowsy truckers, fatigued from too many hours spent on the job. Last week, we discussed how the NTSB is recommending sleep apnea screenings to reduce the risk of accidents. Dealing with trucker fatigue is an important part of reducing accident fatality rates, and setting lower maximum working hours for truckers is an important part of those efforts.
For the trucking industry, a rule that allows drivers to drive for one more hour makes strong economic sense. However, for the trucker himself, who is already under strong pressure to make more trips and deliveries in a 24-hour period, the strain can be enough to cause serious accidents. Profits for the trucking industry must not be allowed to take precedence over the safety of motorists and truck drivers.
We hope that the FMCSA will do the right thing here, and eliminate the additional one hour. Thousands of lives may depend on it.
