In a move designed to reduce fatalities in tractor trailer
crashes related to driver fatigue, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
has proposed
reducing the amount of hours that interstate truckers can spend behind the
wheel. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is
the agency in charge of regulating the trucking industry in the U.S. The
agency's truck driver safety proposals include reducing the amount of allowable
driving time during 14-hour shifts from 11 hours to 10 hours. Additionally,
truckers will need to take a mandatory one-hour break during marathon shifts in
which drivers load and/or unload their cargo. Finally, the FMCSA proposed more
time off-duty for drivers between seven-day stretches. The FMCSA previously
approved a rule set to take effect in 2012 requiring drivers that violate
driving time limits to have an electronic device instead of a traditional time
log book. Truckers can break the rules and lie about the amount of hours they
log behind the wheel, occasionally putting themselves and other motorists in
danger.
In 2006, a truck driver slammed into a passenger vehicle
stopped behind a school bus in Lake Butler, Florida. The accident killed seven
children, the youngest of which was 20 months old. In the investigation that
followed, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that the
trucker responsible for the fatal crash had been awake for 34 hours straight,
aside from a brief nap. Another instance where truck
driver fatigue led to deadly consequences occurred in February of
this year. A trucker in Leon County, Florida slammed head-on into a passenger
vehicle, killing an elementary school bookkeeper. Authorities said the truck
driver had been behind the wheel for over 12 hours with more than 45 minutes
left until he reached his destination. The trucker responsive for the deadly
crash is currently in Leon County Jail.
According to trucking organizations, strict truck driver
safety regulation has led to a reduction in fatal tractor trailer crashes. In
2009, fatal truck crashes went down 20 percent from 2008, and total miles
driven by truckers during the same period fell by seven percent. The FMCSA says
more truck driver safety regulation is still necessary. With a down economy,
trucking companies are trying to keep costs down by hiring fewer drivers, which
pushes truckers to maximize their time. Operating on such tight schedules can
leave drivers with no choice but to press on even when they are
exhausted.
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