To ensure the safety of everyone on the road, the state of Georgia and the federal government implemented regulations specifically for truck drivers. Failure to abide by these regulations may cause a serious accident resulting in severe personal injuries or death. Ask an Atlanta truck accident lawyer how these regulations come into play when filing a truck accident claim.
State and Federal Regulations for Truck Drivers
While the federal government has implemented regulations, each state governs the specifics of those regulations. The federal government has the following regulations that each state must govern:
- hours of service;
- texting;
- alcohol and drug use;
- inspections; and
- logbooks.
Georgia State Regulations on Hours of Service
Because truck drivers must drive long distances, they have to drive for many hours a day. This can cause fatigue, which could result in sleeping at the wheel. It also can lead to inattention, which can also cause a serious truck accident. To protect the truck driver and other drivers, regulations concerning hours of service were implemented, noting that truck driver:
- can drive only 14 hours a day;
- must not drive more than 60 hours in seven days;
- must not drive more than 70 hours in eight days;
- after seven or eight days of driving the maximum allowed hours, must have 34 hours off before driving again; and
- may drive a maximum of 11 hours in a day if had 10 hours off.
If the truck driver drove more than allowed on the day of the accident, you may be able to file a Georgia truck accident claim with an Atlanta truck accident lawyer on the precedence that the driver violated state and federal regulations of hours of service.
Texting Regulations
The texting regulations in Atlanta are the same as throughout the United States. Truck drivers must not text while driving, and truck companies must not allow or require truck drivers to text while driving.
If the truck driver was texting when the accident happened, you may be able to file a Georgia truck accident claim based on this state and federal regulation of texting with the help of an Atlanta truck accident lawyer.
For information on alcohol and drugs, inspections, and logbook state and federal regulations for truck drivers, continue on to the next page.