More Deadly Large Truck Crashes as Industry Eyes Relaxed Safety Standards

Along with lowering age requirements, lobbyists have been trying to adjust shift length requirements. Right now, federal requirements allow drivers to work for a maximum of 11 hours per day in a typical 70 hour work week, although they can extend their work shifts to 14 hours in length if their destinations are all located within just a few hours of their starting points. During the first eight hours of a shift, a driver must also be permitted to take a rest break for at least 30 minutes.

It’s well-known that driver fatigue is a major cause of large truck accidents. Safely operating any vehicle, let alone a large truck, becomes more difficult when one is tired. If lobbyists are successful in their attempts to change the current shift length requirement laws, it’s highly likely an increase in the rate of accidents involving large trucks will be an unfortunate result.

Luckily, there are some indications these problems might be addressed. For example, a range of new technologies have made it easier for drivers to know when they need to rest. Some are basic technologies, such as onboard navigation systems that also track how long drivers have been at the wheel, alerting them (and, sometimes, their employers) when they have been driving for too long. Others are more high-tech, such as biometric technologies that monitor drivers’ physical condition for signs of fatigue.

Still, it’s important that lawmakers opposed to relaxing trucking industry safety standards remain active in their attempts to ensure effective standards remain in place. Saving lives is more important than giving into the trucking industry’s requests.

Of course, accidents will always happen sometimes, particularly when drivers or trucking companies engage in negligence. Hopefully, you will never be harmed in a trucking accident yourself, but if you are, the Boston truck accident attorneys at Swartz & Swartz, P.C. are prepared to help you fight for compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and other losses your accident may have caused. Learn more about what we can do for you by contacting us online or calling us at (617) 742-1900 to schedule a free consultation.