Truck drivers must adhere to several rules. Truck driving is strictly regulated due to the extreme devastation that semi-trucks may cause in accidents. If you’ve been in a mishap involving a semi-truck or any other commercial vehicle, contact a truck accident attorney in Oregon for the investigation report of the accident, which might be crucial to your claim.
Truckers on Interstate Highways
Semi-truck drivers operating in interstate trade must adhere to federal trucking standards, whether located in Oregon or elsewhere in the country. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is in charge of these rules. The Federal Register is a publication that publishes the rules as they are issued. The United States Code of Federal Regulations, commonly abbreviated as CFR, is compiled from the Federal Register.
A few examples of regulations:
The sheer number of laws that apply to truck drivers and the extensive range of issues they cover may amaze some individuals. Listed below are a few examples:
- Requirements for creating and maintaining records: Not only are trucking enterprises and drivers obliged to establish a variety of documents, but they must also keep them for a set period. In the case of a tractor-trailer collision, reviewing these documents is critical.
- Training: Most people know that truck drivers must complete additional training and earn a commercial driver’s license to operate a semi-truck. However, drivers of relatively large Combi Vehicles, for example, may require even more specific training.
- Service hours: Truck drivers must stick to strict guidelines about how many hours they can drive and when to rest. The usage of alcohol and drugs is strictly regulated.
- Shipment scheduling must comply to speed regulations, which means a trucking firm cannot arrange a schedule between places that requires the driver to rush to meet the deadline.
- Equipment required: Specific equipment is usually needed for semi-trucks and trailers to function optimally. Authorities must examine this regularly.
Why Are Trucks So Strictly Regulated?
As essential as the trucking business is, semi-trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles injure and kill countless people on the road every year. While the safety statistics have been improving for several years, there has lately been a reversal. Since 2011, fatalities in the United States have risen, and the death toll in 2015 was 22% higher than the death toll in 2009. Since 2013, the number of truck-related deaths in Oregon has risen every year.
Know that this is only a small list of the actual number of laws that apply; it’s intended to show the extent of the restrictions that truckers must obey. Understanding these regulations and analyzing compliance with those restrictions may help hold truck drivers and transportation businesses accountable for their misconduct.
