Federal Trucking Industry Regulations

The Palm Beach Gardens federal trucking industry regulations were created to establish a sense of safety for all drivers. Trucking companies take on the burden responsibility for all their drivers to adhere to these regulations. Speak with a Palm Beach Gardens lawyer to learn more about these regulations.

Driving Logs & Mandatory Rest

Drivers are required to keep the logs and adhere to hours of service. However, there is a lot of fraud in the system leading to excessive driving which results in driver fatigue and internally causes actions. Unless there is a federal motor carrier system, the Palm Beach Gardens federal trucking industry regulations have certain requirements including the 13-hour rule regarding the amount of time one must have between drive times.

There are various other scenarios with respect to mandatory rest that are part of the logging system. Unfortunately, it is also fraught with fraud and as result drivers are not getting the rest they need. Many well-documented studies point to the lack of rest and lack of sleep dramatically increasing the risks of crashes.

Commercial Driver’s License & Minimum Insurance

The Palm Beach Gardens federal trucking industry regulations require that the operator of a commercial motor vehicle has a commercial driver’s license (CDL). A driver can only be licensed in one state. They cannot have multiple CDLs. The trucking company is charged with the responsibility of making sure that their drivers have valid CDL and maintain their licenses, and making sure that they are only employing safe drivers.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations assesses the standards for minimum insurance like state commercial motor vehicles that operate in interstate transport. The trucking company is responsible for having the minimum standards. Unfortunately, the standards are inadequate; they have not been increased since the 1980s to keep up with medical inflation which is the key indicator of how much coverage a person needs. People injured in a commercial motor vehicle collision are usually catastrophically injured. The insurance that is in place is minimum of $750,000 and is grossly inadequate to provide compensation for their injuries.

Behavior Restrictions & Physical Examination

Behavior restrictions include not drinking alcohol and making sure that the driver is fit for service. Individual companies should employ standards to make sure that their drivers are fit, not overweight, and do not have sleep apnea, which is a large cause of crashes for drivers with sleep apnea.

A trucking company is charged with the responsibility for making sure that the driver undergoes a physical examination and is deemed to be fit for service by a doctor. A Department of Transportation physical examination is valid for 24 months, or less when there is a medical condition that requires monitoring.

Each motor carrier must make an inquiry to obtain the motor vehicle record of every driver and employee at least once every 12 months. Motor carriers are also charged with the duty of requiring their drivers to observe the Palm Beach Gardens federal trucking industry regulations.

Substance Abuse Training

The responsibility for enforcement of the Palm Beach Gardens federal trucking industry regulations lies with the trucking company. A driver is prohibited from operating a commercial motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and a trucking company is charged with the responsibility for making sure drivers are fit for service.

A good trucking company has substance abuse training; although they are not required to do so. Substance abuse training, substance abuse counseling, and driver evaluations regarding the use of drugs, policies, and procedures make the drivers of a trucking company safer and fit.