Truck drivers are supposed to write down when they stopped for breaks, how long they drove, when they slept, and record their on-duty and off-duty time. To follow both federal and state regulations, all truck drivers are supposed to keep these records in their logbooks to show how much sleep and rest they are getting on the road.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires that commercial truck drivers have to spend a certain amount of hours off-duty for so many hours on-duty, according to the hours-of-service rules. In the event of an Atlanta trucking accident, a trucker’s logbook will be critical to your case. A skilled Atlanta injury lawyer will be able to investigate the accident scene and every aspect of the crash to determine liability—this investigation includes obtaining the trucker’s logbook.
If a trucker driver wasn’t keeping track of his time on and off the road, this evidence could be held against him to show that he wasn’t obeying the law. If we don’t know how much time he spent driving and sleeping, then we do not know if he followed the laws that govern the amount of time a truck driver can sit behind the wheel—proving negligence.
If a truck driver did write down his hours and it is discovered that the trucker drove extra hours in order to get a delivery to its destination on time, the trucker could be held liable for the accident. As you can see here, the logbook can help an accident attorney establish fault. Call Atlanta personal injury lawyer Shane Smith today for a free consultation of your accident case at (980) 246-2656