One of the main causes of serious and fatal truck accidents is drowsy driving. Truck drivers are compensated by the mile, so the longer a driver can stay on the road per day, the more money he or she will make. However, these long hours on the road come at the obvious cost of a driver’s decreased ability to remain awake and fully aware of his surroundings.
To help combat the incentives for truck drivers to stay on the road as long as possible, federal government regulations require that truck drivers get a certain amount of rest per day and between long trips. To help enforce these regulations, truck drivers are required to keep logs of the hours they spend on the road as well as the time they spend resting.
Until recently, trucking companies had a choice to keep electronic logs or hand-written logs. However, the use of hand-written logs has long posed a problem because truck drivers can keep dishonest records or even change the records in the event an accident occurred. For example, if a truck driver is involved in an accident and knows that he has been on the road longer than he should be, that driver may be tempted to change the rest log so that when an investigation is conducted, his violation will not be discovered. This may no longer be possible.
According to a recent news report, all trucking companies are going to soon be required to keep electronic logs. This will affect a large portion of small trucking companies, 84% of which currently rely on hand-written logs. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the agency that promulgated the recently announced rule, estimates that the rule will save upwards of 26 lives per year.
Trucking companies have complained about the new rule, arguing that it will require small businesses to implement expensive technology that they may have a difficult time affording. They also claim that productivity will likely decrease across the industry. However, the FMCSA claims that once the program is implemented, the trucking industry as a whole will save over $3 billion by avoiding serious and fatal accidents.
Have You Been Involved in a New Mexico Truck Accident?
If you or a loved one has recently been involved in any kind of New Mexico truck accident, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. The skilled personal injury and truck accident attorneys at the Fine Law Firm have decades of experience successfully bringing cases on behalf of their injured clients. The Fine Law Firm understands that this is a difficult process for an accident victim, and we do everything we can to make the process as painless as possible for our clients. Call 404-889-FINE to set up a free consultation today. You will not incur any obligation by calling, and you won’t be billed for our services unless we can help you obtain the recovery you deserve.
More Blog Posts:
Semi-Trucks Present an Increased Danger to Bicyclists and Motorcycle Riders, New Mexico Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, October 18, 2016.
State Appellate Court Reverses Jury Verdict for Plaintiff in Accident Lawsuit, New Mexico Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, October 12, 2016.