Truck Driver Fatigue / False Logbooks
Experienced Truck Accident Lawyer in Charleston
Drivers of 18-wheelers and other over-the-road commercial vehicles must comply with federal hours of service limits.
These limits include the following:
- No more than 11 hours driving following 10 consecutive hours off duty
- No more than 14 total hours driving and working after starting a shift
- No more than 60 hours in an 7-day period or 70 hours in 8 days
Aside from the danger of actually falling asleep at the wheel, studies show that truck drivers who exceed these limits are measurably less alert and react slower to crisis situations. Some drivers break the rules because they are paid per mile, meaning the more they drive, the more they are paid. Other times, drivers are pressured by the trucking company to speed and / or exceed hours of service limits in order to meet delivery deadlines.
Connecting False Logbooks & Truck Driver Fatigue
Commercial drivers are required to keep a detailed logbook of their trips. In order to hide hours of service violations, some truck drivers illegally falsify their logbooks. It is the trucking company’s duty to enforce hours of service and to ensure that their drivers are not falsifying logbooks. Our Charleston personal injury lawyers at Pierce, Sloan, Kennedy & Early LLC have successfully used various methods to prove that drivers falsified logbooks, and that the companies condoned it or ordered the driver to break the rules. These methods include:
- Satellite tracking (GPS) records
- The truck’s “black box” data recorder
- Phone records
- Gas receipts
- Bills of lading
- Witness accounts
Demonstrating Truck Driver Fatigue
A sleepy truck driver behind the wheel of a 40-ton tractor-trailer puts other motorists in danger. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) sets strict limits on the number of hours that truckers can drive without rest. Some commercial drivers and the trucking companies that employ them falsify their logbooks to get around the regulations — sometimes with deadly results.
If you were seriously injured or a family member was killed in a trucking accident, our Charleston truck accident lawyers can thoroughly investigate to determine whether driver fatigue or driver negligence was a factor. Attorney Allan P. Sloan III has handled more than 60 truck accident cases in the tri-county area and across South Carolina, and he is a member of the National Advisory Board of the Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America.
Protect Your Future: Begin with a Free Case Review
Attorney Sloan knows what to look for, which experts to hire, and how to present a truck accident case to the insurance carriers or a jury in order to maximize compensation for our clients. We represent clients throughout the Tri-County area, including Sumter, Orangeburg, Williamsburg, Clarendon, Georgetown, Horry, Jasper, Allendale, Richland, Beaufort, Hampton, Darlington, Colleton, Florence, Berkeley, and Dorchester.
Contact Pierce | Sloan today at (843) 968-0886 to discuss your truck accident in a free case evaluation.
