Truck Driver Fatigue Accident Attorneys

If you’re facing serious injuries in or Texas due to another person’s or corporation’s negligence, recklessness, dangerous actions, car or truck accident, or faulty products, it’s crucial to get legal representation from Dunham & Jones, the Trusted Texas Personal Injury Attorneys. Dunham & Jones can help you recover compensation for medical costs, income losses, pain, suffering, and other damages through a meticulously crafted personal injury or wrongful death claim in Texas. Call 888-222-9746 now for your free injury case review and discuss your case in detail.

Truck Driver Fatigue and Federal Hours of Service Regulations

Truck driving is a demanding job, and when a fatigued driver is operating a large truck carrying potentially hazardous cargo, it can lead to disaster. If you were injured in a truck accident, a knowledgeable lawyer with Dunham & Jones, Attorneys at Law can investigate the crash, determine if fatigue played a role, and identify the responsible parties. Contact Dunham & Jones, Attorneys at Law today for a free consultation to discuss your options for pursuing compensation.

Dangers of Drowsy Driving

Driving after being awake for 20 hours is comparable to driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08% or higher, according to the National Sleep Foundation. The National Safety Council states that driving while drowsy has effects similar to driving under the influence of alcohol, including:

• Delayed reaction times
• Impaired judgment
• Reduced awareness of hazards
• Difficulty maintaining attention
• Blurred vision
• Increased likelihood of falling asleep at the wheel

Call Dunham & Jones at 888-222-9746 to schedule a free consultation with an injury attorney and learn how we can help you with your Truck Driver Accident case. Dunham & Jones was established in 1989 and is dedicated to helping it’s clients get the best results.

When you combine these impairments with a vehicle weighing tens of thousands of pounds, the consequences can be extremely dangerous. Drowsy and fatigued truck drivers can cause accidents resulting in serious injuries or fatalities. Besides the physical and emotional toll, these preventable crashes can also lead to substantial financial losses, with fatigued driving accidents costing $109 billion annually.

Federals Hours of Service Regulations

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations were established to address the link between fatigued drivers and serious accidents. However, these rules have been relaxed in recent years, despite the safety risks.

The current hours of service regulations set the following limits for truck drivers:

• Truck drivers cannot drive more than 11 consecutive hours in a 14-hour window. They must take at least three hours off duty during this period. After 14 hours, they must take a 10-hour break.
• Truck drivers cannot be on duty for more than 70 hours in a work week (defined as 7 consecutive days). After 70 hours, they must take at least 34 hours off.
• Truck drivers must take a 30-minute break after driving for 8 consecutive hours.

Different rules apply to drivers carrying passengers, those with sleeper berths, or intrastate drivers.

How Truck Driver Hours Are Tracked

Federal law mandates that truck drivers track their on- and off-duty hours. Historically, this was done using written logbooks, which were prone to manipulation. Drivers often maintained two sets of logbooks: one compliant with the hours of service regulations and one with the actual data. Currently, drivers must log each 15-minute interval electronically.

One of our experienced attorneys will be able to obtain these electronic logbooks and other evidence to help prove driver fatigue contributed to the crash.

Contact Dunham & Jones, Attorneys at Law Today for a Free Case Review with a Dedicated Texas Truck Accident Lawyer

The lawyers at Dunham & Jones, Attorneys at Law, have the skills and resources to hold trucking companies accountable for the harm caused by pushing drivers to exceed hours of service limits. Call us today at 888-222-9746 for a free, no-obligation case review.