New Jersey Personal Injury Lawyers: Federal Regulations on Over – the – Road Truckers — An Overview

Because of the inherent risks involved when semis, tractor-trailers, big rigs and 18-wheelers travel on the highways in America, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has put in place substantial regulations to promote safe operations. This blog post provides an overview of the basic requirements for commercial truckers under federal regulations.

The Federal Requirements for Trucking Companies and Truckers

Many of the federal trucking regulations are designed to ensure that truck drivers have adequate rest, that they are not operating their rigs when they are too tired. Accordingly, the following regulations have been put in place:

• A truck driver may not drive for more than 11 hours after a 10 hour break. A driver coming off a 10 hour break may not drive beyond the 14th hour after coming off a break. (For example, a driver may not drive seven hours, take two hours off, then drive more than four hours).

• Drivers using the “sleeper berth” provision are required to take at least eight consecutive hours in the sleeper berth as part of a 10 hour break. They may take the additional two hours required (to reach the 10 hour break mandate) in the berth or off duty elsewhere.

• A driver cannot drive more than 60-70 hours in a 7-8 day work week. The driver must take a minimum of 34 hours off before starting a new work week.

Truck drivers also face weight limitations under federal regulations:

• The limit per axle is 20,000 pounds, with the gross weight of the vehicle not to exceed 80,000 pounds

• The tandem acceptable axle weight is 36,000 pounds

Truck drivers are required to maintain logs that show compliance with federal trucking regulations.

Contact the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Accident Lawyers at the Law Offices of Harold J. Gerr

At the office of Harold J. Gerr, Attorney at Law, we have fought for the rights of personal injury victims in central New Jersey for more than four decades. We carefully choose the cases we handle, so that we can provide the highest levels of service and personal attention to each client. We are also happy to take over your case, if your first lawyer does not seem to have your best interests in mind.

To set us a free initial consultation, contact us online or call our office at 732-537-8570 (toll free at 1-877-249-4600).