Item: Flaxman Law Group
Rating: 5
Author: Clara Barman

Study Finds Link Between Driver Payment and Driver Fatigue

Published on: October 17, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Fatigued driving in Hollywood and other communities is a serious problem, especially among truck drivers. Truck drivers have to cover large amounts of territory as part of their jobs and operate heavy trucks that can cause catastrophic injury if drivers lose control of their vehicles or fall asleep at the wheel. According to safety experts, however, driver fatigue continues to be a significant factor in many trucking collisions in Hollywood and other communities.

In an effort to curb fatigued driving, federal rules have been established to limit the number of hours commercial drivers can stay on the road. Truck drivers must take a specific number of mandated rest breaks each week they work and must keep track of distances driven and hours rested in written logs. Drivers also trained to recognize and safely deal with fatigue on the road.

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The Facts of a Trucking Life Could Contribute to Fatigued Driving

Published on: August 5, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Many laws have been passed over the past twenty years to address the issue of fatigue driving and truck accidents. However, what these laws do not address is the fact that truck driving as a job creates some risk factors that contribute to fatigued driving in Homestead and other communities. For example, truck drivers need to contend with:

1) Deadline-focused work. Truck drivers need to deliver their cargo by a specific time, and sometimes deadlines are tight.

In some cases, drivers may have a financial incentive to get to their destination on time or may even be worried about their jobs if they fail to make deadlines (no matter how unreasonable those deadlines are). If truck drivers are keeping an eye on the clock, they may not take the time to rest properly and may push themselves to keep going, even when they are tired.

2) Changing shift work. Some studies have shown that shift work can lead to fatigued driving and car collisions.

Truck drivers may be at risk because they may need to drive at different times of the day, even at night, when roadway crashes are more common. Drivers of bid rigs and tractor trailers may also need to work different shifts throughout the month, which creates an additional risk as drivers get used to a new schedule.

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Concerns About Fatigued Driving in Fort Lauderdale and Other Cities Continue

Published on: July 29, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

A current debate about hours of service regulation rules is really a long-standing argument about how to best reduce the number of fatigued drivers on Fort Lauderdale roads and other roadways across the country. Earlier this year, new federal hours of service rules were passed which reduced the weekly hours long-haul truck drivers worked. The same changes also requires truck drivers to take nighttime rest breaks.

Some safety advocates say that the nighttime breaks are crucial to help prevent fatigued driving and resulting traffic crashes in Fort Lauderdale and other cities. They point to research that has shown shift work can lead to sleep issues and greater fatigue when compared with work that allows employees to sleep during regular night hours.

Critics Slam New Hours of Service Rules

Opponents of the hours of service changes, however, say that the mandatory nighttime rest breaks put too many commercial truck drivers on the road during rush hour – an increase in traffic that could contribute to roadway accidents in Fort Lauderdale and other cities. They also say that drivers should ultimately decide when they should rest.

Fatigued driving leads to traffic crashes

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What Can be Done to Prevent Fatigued Driving in Davie and Other Florida Communities?

Published on: July 22, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Trade groups such as the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) have spoken out against the new Hours of Service rules, saying that the new rules will not help fight fatigued driving and may actually contribute to the problem.

The new rules, among other things, limit commercial truck drivers to working no more than 14 hours per workday and also set limits on weekly work hours. On the surface, this seems like a good way to prevent fatigued driving in Davie and in communities across the country. The problem, according to OOIDA and other groups, is that the new rules are less flexible than previous regulations, which allowed drivers to take breaks when they needed to. Under the new rules, the groups say, drivers may have to max out their workday in bad weather or heavy traffic, preventing them from taking rests as needed because the 14-hour day cannot be extended.

According to transportation officials, however, the problem is not with the new Hours of Service regulations, but rather with commercial drivers and transportation companies. When truck carriers create strict deadlines that no not allow for any breaks within 14 hour days or do not account for situations such as traffic or weather, they create problems because drivers do not have time to rest if they want to make their deadlines. Federal officials, however, have given no statements as to how this problem might be dealt with.

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