Trucking Interests Use Zika Fears to Weaken Highway Safety

Last week, Congress passed measures that seriously threaten the safety of the driving public, though you probably didn’t hear about it.

The Senate passed a measure that allows truck drivers to work a total of 81.5  hours each week as part of a massive spending measure that will fund transportation, housing, military construction projects, the Veterans Administration, and Zika virus prevention. In the House, similar rules were added to the transportation and housing appropriations bill. Both bills prevent the enforcement of safety regulations that took effect in 2013, limiting truck drivers to 70-hour workweeks and requiring two nights of rest between workweeks.

These measures rolling back trucker rest rules have been fiercely opposed by safety advocates, and likely would not pass on their own as stand-alone bills. So, in a disturbing pattern, trucking interest groups have been passing these measures by tacking them onto “must-pass” pieces of legislation, such as budget bills to prevent a government shutdown or allocate funds for important programs. In this case, they are also preying on people’s fears surrounding the spread of the Zika virus.

This kind of “back door” tactic is a growing trend for an industry attempting to undermine safety regulations that most Americans support and that keep truck drivers safe as they do their jobs.

Trucking interests argue that safety advocates are wrong and that longer hours of service won’t affect public safety. As truck accident lawyers, we know better.

We know from decades of experience that deadly truck accidents are most likely to happen between midnight and 6 a.m. We know that a drowsy driver is frequently a factor in a deadly crash. And we know that investigation will frequently find violations of the hours of service rules in place. When this happens, truck drivers risk their lives and the lives of everyone around them.

If you or someone you love has been in a car accident with a truck, call Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys for a free consultation. We represent drivers, passengers, and truckers who have been in truck accidents all over the country. Our truck accident lawyers have recovered some of the largest settlements in the country on behalf of their clients. And, we never charge a fee unless we win your case. Fill out our email form, or call 855-866-5529.