Trucker rest rule suspension puts all drivers at risk

WATCH: Attorney Dan Munley weighs in on the suspension of trucker rest laws and what it means for other drivers on the road.

Last month, we covered the breaking news that the federal government moved to suspend certain laws that had been put in place just a year earlier regarding rest requirements the maximum weekly hours of operation for truck drivers. The previous law required that the 34-hour interim between work weeks include at least two periods between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. – this was intended to provide truckers with the opportunity to get more sleep before getting back at the wheel. Now, the break between work weeks need only include one 1 a.m. -5 a.m. period. Thus, truck drivers may begin a work week having gotten less sleep, and that work week may be as long as 80 hours. […]

New truck driver rest rules: a step backward?

Just last year,  new laws were put in place regarding the number of hours commercial truck drivers can spend on the road during the work week. The laws were designed to decrease the number of accidents caused by sleep-deprived drivers dozing off at the wheel, and thus promote public safety. Under the 2013 laws, drivers were allowed to drive for a maximum of 11 hours per day, and 70 hours per week. Drivers who reached the 70-hour maximum within a week could resume work only after taking a 34-hour break, including two nights of rest from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.

This week, however, a provision included in the new spending bill passed by Congress will suspend some of these safety rules, pending a study of their effectiveness. Under the new rules, truckers could conceivably work up to 82 hours per week and are no longer required to have two nights of rest before returning to work. […]

Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers warn truck crashes kill

The destruction and trauma caused by a crash with a large truck is devastating. Often, innocent people are killed, and lives are ruined. However, many of these crashes are caused by controllable factors such as lack of proper driver training, driver fatigue, driver distraction, speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or driving overloaded trucks.

Last week, a tractor-trailer driver fell asleep at the wheel, causing a multi-vehicle accident on Route 222 in Berks County that killed two people and injured nine others. The Allentown Morning Call reported that the truck driver rammed into several vehicles stopped at a traffic light. Still asleep, the trucker, a 50-year old Reading man, veered into oncoming traffic and collided with more vehicles.

The Berks County DA said in a press conference that the driver was charged with nine counts of aggravated assault by vehicle, […]

Safety group files suit for tougher trucker training laws

Several groups, including the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH), and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters filed suit against the DOT and the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), seeking stiffer rules for training entry-level truck drivers.

Bloomberg reported that regulators have missed deadlines set by two laws passed by Congress since 1991. According to the article, the FMSCA issued a rule in 2004 that only requires 10 hours of classroom work on such topics as driver wellness and hours of service. The watchdog groups say that rule is inadequate, because it doesn’t require any training for entry-level drivers on how to operate commercial vehicles, according to the complaint.

In 2012, Congress passed a second law (the “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act” also known as MAP-21) requiring the DOT to issue the entry-level training rule, […]

Fatal truck crashes becoming a common occurrence

There were 3,921 fatalities and 104,000 injuries from truck crashes in 2012, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). That’s over ten fatal crashes and over 284 injuries a day. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reported that fatal truck crashes were up over 18% between 2009 and 2012, although the annual distance trucks travel on the highway is down 2.67% and the number of trucks is down 2.86%.

A recent story by NBC News talked about the surge in truck accidents and lack of public outcry. Fatal truck accidents are all too common, averaging nearly 11 times every single day in this country, killing nearly 4,000 people each year, and injuring more than 100,000, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

The NBC report likened those numbers to a commuter jet crashing every single week of the year, […]