Federal Rules Encourage Truck Driver Fatigue Crashes

Five organizations fighting to reduce trucker fatigue accidents have filed a petition against the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s proposed 2005 hours-of-service rule. The U.S. Court Of Appeals struck down a similar rule in 2004, chastising the agency for permitting dramatic increases in driving time. Truckers’ driving hours have increased 40% in the last few years, each day and every week. Not surprisingly, fatal truck crashes have climbed from 5,036 to 5,190. Further, the 2005 rule still fails to require electronic onboard recorders, which would provide reliable data on drivers’ hours and permit effective enforcement of driving limits. Cheating on paper logbooks is rampant. It is clear that FMCSA is putting the public and truckers at risk so that truck companies can make a bigger profit. Stay away from trucks; you don’t know how awake the driver is at any time.