Driver Fatigue

Accidents Involving Over-Hours Violations

When a truck wreck occurs, one of the most important things to determine is whether driver fatigue played a role. Reviewing a driver's log book as soon as possible is crucial to find out if the driver was in violation of over-hours limitations at the time the crash took place. When trucking company representatives are the only investigators on the scene, however, log books may be misplaced or altered before a court can ever review them. A victim in this type of accident should contact a trucking accident lawyer as soon as possible so he or she can secure this crucial evidence and find out whether the driver was legally permitted to be behind the wheel.

Phoenix injury attorneys Mark & Alexis Breyer of The Husband & Wife Law Team have experience dealing with catastrophic truck crashes throughout Arizona. Driver negligence and accidents that occur due to operator fatigue are an all too common occurrence. For more information on how we can protect your rights under the law and help insure that parties that are responsible for your serious injuries are made accountable for their actions, contact us today.

Truck Drivers & Over Hours Limits Violations

The United States has clearly established laws regarding how long a driver may work in a given period of time in order to protect the drivers of trucks and much smaller vehicles that share the roadways with them. In Arizona, a driver may not drive for more than 11 consecutive hours and must be off duty for 10 consecutive hours before he or she gets behind the wheel again.

Purposes of Over-Hours Rules

Limiting the number of hours a driver can remain behind the wheel before taking a break is a strategy to avoid driver fatigue. Studies have shown that inadequate sleep can lead to the same level of impairment as driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Driving while tired can impair a driver's judgment, reduce reaction time and increase the likelihood that a driver will make an error while driving. It's thought that driver fatigue is a major contributing factor in many trucking collisions.

Reasons Why Truck Drivers Do Not Abide by Over-Hours Limitations

Even though truck drivers and trucking companies are aware of over-hours rules and their important role in road safety, these rules are still regularly broken. Drivers are required to keep log books of their driving hours, but many drivers falsify these records. There may be many reasons behind this decision. A driver may want to get home to his family as soon as possible, or he may simply be trying to earn as much money as he can. Most truck drivers are paid according to the number of miles they drive, so the farther they travel, the more they will earn.

Trucking companies can also encourage drivers to break over-hours limitations by not reviewing driver's logs, not disciplining drivers when they violate over-hours regulations, offering bonuses to drivers if they complete a job early and openly instructing drivers to falsify log books.

Get The Legal Help You Need

If you have been hurt in a crash, speak with our Phoenix truck accident attorneys today.