In the wake of a devastating highway truck accident that occurred earlier this month in Kentucky and resulted in 11 fatalities, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced it will go ahead with a new trucking regulation related to monitoring how many hours a truck driver can log at one time.
FMCSA reported that the regulation had been proposed prior to the deadly March crash on Interstate 65 in Kentucky, but that the tragedy brought to light the need for tougher regulations.
The new rules dictate that some interstate commercial trucks will have to include on-board recorders (or black boxes) that will monitor the number of hours that the driver has logged on the road. This rule is in support of current federal regulations that stipulate a commercial truck driver cannot drive for more than 11 hours in each shift and cannot be considered on-duty for more than 14 hours in a 24-hour-peroid.
According to Kentucky.com, only trucking companies with serious (and repeated) safety violations related to trucker’s driving hours will be required to install the on-board devices. It’s estimated that initially, roughly 5,700 devices will be installed.
It is worth noting that information taken from an on-board recording device or records of a trucking company’s previous safety violations are often considered critical pieces of evidence in truck accident injury claims.
A Florida truck accident attorney at Lilly, O’Toole & Brown can help you sort through the often overwhelming issues that may present themselves in the course of a truck accident claim. We are committed to protecting your best interests and helping you collect the damages you and your family need and deserve to move on with your lives. Contact our firm today to schedule your consultation; (863) 533-5525.
