Trucking Safety Regulations You Should Know

It is not just your imagination that there are a disproportionately large number of trucks on the road.  Missouri is one of the nation’s biggest suppliers of agricultural products, from beef, pork, and chicken to soybeans and corn.  Missouri produces more food than its residents can eat, so a lot of these food ingredients get transported to other states by truck.  Of course, truck driving is a dangerous job; it accounts for more work-related injuries than any other profession in Missouri.  The downhill section of the northbound 70-63 interchange is the most hazardous stretch of road in Missouri as far as truck accidents go, but truck drivers need to be on alert no matter where they drive.

Safety Regulations to Prevent Truck Accidents

Of course, the law aims to prevent truck accidents.  The Department of Transportation has strict rules about procedures that truck drivers must follow to reduce the risk of truck accidents caused by driver errors or by faulty equipment.  This is a summary of some of the safety regulations for Missouri truck drivers.

• The maximum number of hours a truck driver can work in a 24-hour period is 14 hours. Any breaks that the driver takes during his shift are included in the 14 hours. For example, they can only be on duty from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., including breaks for meals, bathroom breaks, and stops for refueling.
• The maximum amount of time a trucker can spend driving during a 14-hour shift is 11 hours. The driver must stop for a break at least once by the time that eight hours have passed since the beginning of the shift.
• Before beginning a new 14-hour shift, the driver must spend at least ten hours off duty.
• Before beginning a new seven-day work week, the driver must remain off duty for at least 34 consecutive hours. The 34-hour rest period must contain two periods of time between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.  For example, you can finish your work week at 10:00 p.m. on Saturday and start your new work week at 8:00 on Monday morning.  That way, you will have rested during the wee hours of both Sunday morning and Monday morning.  In other words, you will have slept through the night on both Saturday and Sunday.
• The greatest number of hours you can be on duty in a seven-day work week is 60 hours.
• For “day trips,” where you transport goods to a destination and return to your starting point in the same day, the workday can be 16 hours long. The rules about rest periods still apply, though.

Contact Walton Telken, LLC About Truck Accidents

The truck driving safety regulations have undoubtedly prevented many accidents.  Truck driving is still Missouri’s leading cause of work injuries, though. Contact Walton Telken, LLC if you have been injured in a truck accident.  Schedule a legal consultation to see if you have grounds for a personal injury lawsuit.