Columbia, SC (PRWEB) June 28, 2013
The U.S. Division of Transportations Federal Motor Carrier Security Administration (FMCSA) has revised the hours-of-service (HOS) safety specifications for commercial truck drivers (http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/rulemakings/final/HOS-Final-Rule-12-27-11.pdf). Columbia private injury attorney Bert Louthian says the new rules, which take effect July 1, 2013, will make the roadways safer by limiting the number of hours a fatigued driver can stay behind the wheel or on duty.

HOS guidelines have been in location given that 1939 and went virtually unchanged for much more than 60 years. The most recent version is the most stringent however, requiring a driver to take at least a 30-minute break every single eight consecutive hours. Drivers are permitted to drive 11 hours within a period of 14 consecutive hours, but following 11 hours of driving, the driver must be off duty for ten consecutive hours before once more taking the wheel.

There is also a new weekly limit. Beneath the old rule, truck drivers could perform on average up to 82 hours within a seven-day period. Starting July 1, total on-duty time is limited to 60 hours in each 7-day period or 70 hours in 8 days, with the new week starting following the driver has 34 consecutive off-duty hours. This is identified as the 34-hour restart. Importantly, the restart period should consist of at least two off-duty periods amongst 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.

FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro mentioned in a press release, With robust input from all places of the trucking neighborhood, coupled with the newest scientific study, we carefully crafted a rule acknowledging that when truckers are rested, alert and focused on safety, it tends to make our roadways safer. (http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/guidelines-regulations/subjects/hos/statement.aspx)

Statistics from the National Transportation Safety Board show that driver error is the top trigger of huge truck accidents. In truth, the agency found that fatigue alone was accountable for up to 40 percent of all truck accidents. As a truck accident lawyer, Louthian said, I know how catastrophic the injuries can be when a passenger vehicle is struck by an 18-wheeler. Drowsy driving is dangerous for anybody, but when an 80,000-pound truck is barreling down the highway beneath the control of a sleepy driver who is trying to meet a delivery deadline, the hazard is especially alarming.

Trucking businesses say the new HOS limits are unnecessarily burdensome and will boost the expense of transporting goods. But the penalties attached for noncompliance are stiff: Trucking organizations that let drivers to exceed the 11-hour driving limit by three or much more hours could be fined $ 11,000 per offense, and the drivers themselves could face civil penalties of up to $ 2,750 for every single offense.

About The Louthian Law Firm
The Louthian Law Firm, P.A., of Columbia, S.C., has been acquiring fair compensation for its clients given that 1959. The firm was founded by Herbert Louthian, who has much more than 50 years of trial experience and is licensed to practice in all courts in South Carolina. The firms office is situated in the Marlboro Creating, Suite 300, 1116 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201 (nearby telephone (803) 454-1200). For a free, confidential case evaluation, get in touch with the firm by phone at (866) 410-5656 or through its on-line speak to type.





