Truck drivers in Pennsylvania and across the United States now have to be aware of new federal trucking regulations regarding the amount of time they spend on the road and their trucking log. A new rule has been implemented that requires truck drivers to keep their logbook electronically rather than by hand. This went into effect in December of 2015 and is meant to reduce the possibility of a driver manipulating the amount of time they spend on the road.
Federal overseers believe that the requirement that drivers keep their logs this way will save 26 lives every year and avoid more than 560 injuries from truck accidents. In addition, it will save approximately $1 billion in costs from paperwork and will expedite enforcement when drivers are on the road. Many truckers, however, are not happy with the new regulations.
Some truck companies exert pressure on drivers to get their work done faster to save time and money. Drivers are required to have a certain amount of rest when they are on the road and this is tracked by the logbook. This is to prevent risky situations due to truck driver fatigue. Truck driver fatigue can result in various dangers and violations, and the new method for keeping a trucking log is meant to prevent it. While this is a method that federal authorities are using to try and diminish the possibility of a tired truck driver causing a crash, large trucks still pose a major risk on the road.
Even with an electronic tracking log, it does not automatically mean drivers will follow the rules for driving and rest time. The size of these trucks and the speed with which they travel make them a threat to drivers in smaller vehicles. A crash will inevitably lead to severe injury or death even with the new rules in place. People who are involved in trucking accidents need to know what to do in the aftermath to be compensated. A full investigation must be conducted to determine how and why the crash happened. Then, the evidence can be used to pursue a legal filing with help from a qualified legal professional.
Source: local21news.com, “New rule aims to reduce truck driver fatigue,” Donna Kirker Morgan, Dec. 11, 2015