Driving Hour Log Violations—18 Wheeler Accidents

In today’s competitive market, with the strong emphasis on profitability, many trucking companies and over-the-road truckers face intense pressure to minimize costs and provide quick turnaround to their customers. Unfortunately, one of the areas where trucking concerns can cut corners is with respect to driving or maintenance logs. Federal laws require that truckers maintain accurate logs of their activity, tracking how many hours they are driving in a given period, as well as how much cargo they are carrying. To maximize profits, they may drive without adequate rest, or may carry loads that exceed safety limits. In far too any instances, these shortcuts result in serious injury to others on the road.

The Federal Highway Administration takes the regulations governing hours of service very seriously. Trucking executives have been sentenced to time in federal prison for instructing and conspiring with employees to falsify driving logs.

If you have been injured in an accident involving an 18 wheeler, tractor-trailer or big rig, you want an experienced and effective attorney to protect your interests. The lawyers at Taylor & Boguski can help.

The 11/14 Rule for Truck Drivers

Federal trucking regulations mandate that:

• A truck driver cannot work more than 14 hours in a 24 hour period.
• In addition, you cannot drive more than 11 hours in any 24 hour period without taking a 10 hour break. Accordingly, a trucker may not drive the last 11 hours of one day and the first 11 hours of the next day. They must take a minimum 10 hour break after 11 hours during a 24 hour period.

The purpose behind reducing the number of hours on the road is to assure that the trucker is well-rested, and can be alert at all times while on the road.

Truckers and trucking companies can employ a variety of schemes to falsify driving hour logs, including using two sets of logs, or simply understating time on the road. An experienced lawyer will look at all food and gas receipts and will cross-reference them with driving log entries, looking for evidence of fraudulent activity.

Contact the Law Office of Taylor & Boguski

To schedule a free initial consultation with experienced New Jersey family law attorneys, contact Taylor & Boguski by e-mail. To learn more about our practice, visit our practice area overview page.