• 26
  • August
    2011

In 2009, the number of people who died in accidents involving trucks was reduced by 1,217 from 2007, reaching a record low. The number of truck accidents involving injuries also dropped during this period, by over 20,000. Despite this reduction in both fatalities and injuries, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is doing its best to try to shrink this number even further, by proposing a rule that would keep tired drivers off the roads.

Truck drivers who work too many daily or weekly hours become fatigued. When this occurs, the chance that they will become involved in a wreck that causes death or injury increases. In fact, the FMCSA blames "truck-driver fatigue" as the cause of more than 740 fatalities and 20,000 injuries annually.

The rule proposed by the FMCSA is based on a 24-hour clock, and would reduce the number of hours that truck drivers are allowed to drive during those 24 hours; from the currently-allowed 11 hours down to 10 hours. The rule also would require drivers to take a 30-minute break after seven straight hours on the road.

Additionally, one of the proposals would reduce the trucker's maximum work "shift" from 14 hours to 13 hours. This shift includes driving time, but may also include the time it takes to load and unload the truck. After drivers reached their weekly driving limits, the required off-duty time for drivers would increase to 34 hours and include two nights of off-duty time.

The trucking industry is against the changes, noting that fatalities and injuries in truck crashes are already on the decline. Industry groups say the proposed changes would cost trucking firms a whopping $2 billion dollars a year, and require the hiring of an additional 100,000 drivers on the road.

Larger companies with more fleets, such as UPS and FedEx, will be able to adapt more easily than smaller companies, who make up approximately 70 percent of the trucks on the road.

Source: Truck Firms Gird for New Limits