New “Hours of Service” rules for truckers will go into effect
next month, reducing the amount of time a truck driver can spend
on the road without sleep, and increasing the amount of rest
time required before returning to the highways.

On October 1, 2005, The Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration’s new Hours of Service rules will require truck
drivers to rest for at least 10 hours between shifts, and
provides a 34-hour rest period for cumulative fatigue recovery
between workweeks.

These new rules are in addition to the regulations introduced in
2003, which prohibit commercial truck drivers from driving for
more than 11 hours straight, working more than 14 hours in a
single shift, and driving more than 60 hours in a week.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) was
established by the U.S. Department of Transportation to reduce
crashes, injuries, accidents and fatalities involving large
trucks and buses.

“We have a very aggressive goal at the Department of
Transportation to reduce fatalities on our nation’s highways, so
safety is the top issue in our rule-making process,” said
Annette Sandberg, head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration.

According to Jeffrey D. Slakter, a lawyer specializing in truck
crashes, “each year, over 5,000 people die as a result of a
collision with a large truck, and an estimated 130,000 victims
sustain injuries”.

Mr. Slakter also points out that a loaded commercial truck
weighs more than 25 times the amount of a passenger car, which
can be a difference of more than 75,000 lbs. “The sheer size and
weight of an eighteen-wheeler means the result almost always
produces serious injuries or fatalities,” he says.

The FMCSA has utilized a number of studies and crash statistics
from across the United States to come up with what they hope is
a fair balance between the safety of everyone on our highways
and the sustainability of the trucking industry. Nevertheless,
there will continue to be major accidents involving commercial
trucks. With the trucking industry working to maintain profit
margins by allowing drivers to work longer hours, and the FMCSA
issuing regulations that reduce the amount of hours a trucker
can drive, the resulting accident and fatality statistics will
be highly debated next year. In the meantime, trucking accident
attorneys like Mr. Slakter will continue to protect the
rights of the individuals who make up those statistics