Commercial trucks are essential to Arizona’s economy, transporting goods across highways, cities, and communities every day. But because tractor-trailers, semi-trucks, delivery vehicles, and other commercial motor vehicles are much larger and heavier than passenger cars, crashes involving these vehicles can result in devastating injuries and significant property damage.

To reduce the risk of these collisions, truck drivers and trucking companies must follow numerous federal safety requirements. These rules address how long drivers can remain behind the wheel, how much rest they must receive, how driving time is documented, vehicle inspections, driver qualifications, and other safety responsibilities.

Understanding these requirements can be especially important after a commercial truck accident. If a driver or trucking company failed to follow applicable safety rules, that violation may become important evidence when determining how the crash happened and who may be responsible for the resulting injuries.

If you were injured in a truck accident, you may be searching for a truck accident lawyer, truck accident attorney, or commercial truck accident lawyer because your case may involve more than a typical traffic collision. Trucking companies can have their own insurance carriers, safety departments, dispatch records, electronic logging data, maintenance records, and legal teams involved soon after a crash.

A careful investigation can help determine whether federal safety requirements were followed and whether a violation contributed to the collision.

Key Takeaways

• Federal trucking regulations establish important safety requirements for commercial drivers and motor carriers.
• Hours-of-service rules limit how long many property-carrying truck drivers can drive and remain on duty.
• Property-carrying drivers generally may drive up to 11 hours after receiving at least 10 consecutive hours off duty.
• Drivers generally cannot continue driving beyond the 14th consecutive hour after beginning a work period following the required off-duty period.
• Drivers generally must receive a 30-minute qualifying break when more than eight cumulative hours of driving have passed since their last qualifying break, subject to applicable exceptions.
• Weekly limits can restrict driving after a driver reaches 60 or 70 hours on duty over the applicable seven- or eight-day period.
• Electronic logging devices, or ELDs, help record driving time and other hours-of-service information for drivers who are required to maintain records of duty status.
• Federal safety rules do not eliminate the need for drivers to operate their vehicles safely under the actual conditions they encounter.
• Evidence of a safety violation may be relevant to determining negligence, but a violation does not automatically resolve every legal issue in a truck accident claim.
• Truck accident investigations can involve the driver, trucking company, vehicle owner, maintenance providers, cargo handlers, manufacturers, and other potentially responsible parties.

Why Federal Trucking Safety Rules Matter

Truck drivers have a significant responsibility to operate their vehicles safely. A fully loaded commercial truck can weigh many times more than a passenger vehicle, and the size and weight difference can make a collision particularly dangerous for people in smaller vehicles.

Federal regulations are designed to address several risks associated with commercial trucking. These include driver fatigue, excessive driving hours, inadequate rest, unsafe vehicle conditions, and inaccurate records.

For someone injured in a truck accident, these regulations can provide an important framework for understanding what happened.

For example, imagine a truck driver who has spent an extended period on the road, becomes fatigued, and eventually drifts into another lane. If evidence shows that the driver exceeded applicable hours-of-service limits or failed to take required rest, those records may become relevant to the investigation.

The same is true when a trucking company allegedly pressures a driver to meet an unrealistic delivery schedule despite signs that the driver is too fatigued to continue safely.

Federal regulations are not simply paperwork requirements. They are intended to promote safer commercial motor vehicle operations. FMCSA explains that hours-of-service rules specify maximum on-duty periods and required rest periods to help drivers remain awake and alert.

What Are Hours-of-Service Rules?

One of the most important categories of federal trucking safety requirements involves hours of service, commonly abbreviated as HOS.

Hours-of-service regulations establish limits on how long certain commercial drivers may operate their vehicles and when they must take rest periods.

For property-carrying drivers, FMCSA currently identifies several major HOS requirements. Generally, a driver may drive for a maximum of 11 hours after having at least 10 consecutive hours off duty. The driver also generally may not drive beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty following those 10 hours off duty.

These rules are important because fatigue can affect a driver’s ability to safely control a large commercial vehicle.

The 11-Hour Driving Limit

Under the general federal rule for property-carrying drivers, a driver may drive up to 11 hours after receiving at least 10 consecutive hours off duty.

This does not mean a driver can simply drive for 11 hours continuously under every circumstance. Other HOS requirements may apply, including the 14-hour window and required breaks.

If a driver exceeds the applicable driving limit, the violation may become relevant to an investigation into a subsequent crash.

The 14-Hour Driving Window

The 14-hour rule is different from the 11-hour driving limit.

Generally, once a property-carrying driver begins a work period after the required 10 consecutive hours off duty, the driver cannot drive after the 14th consecutive hour. Off-duty time during that period generally does not extend the 14-hour window.

This distinction matters because a driver may not necessarily be driving for all 14 hours. The driver could spend some of that period loading cargo, waiting, completing paperwork, fueling, inspecting the vehicle, or performing other work.

Even so, the applicable driving window continues to run.

Required Rest Breaks

Federal HOS rules also address rest breaks.

Generally, a property-carrying driver may not continue driving after more than eight cumulative hours have passed since the end of the driver’s last qualifying off-duty, sleeper-berth, or on-duty-not-driving period of at least 30 minutes, subject to applicable exceptions.

The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that drivers have opportunities to interrupt extended periods of driving.

Weekly Driving Limits

Truck drivers also face limits based on cumulative on-duty time.

FMCSA states that property-carrying drivers generally may not drive after being on duty for 60 hours in seven consecutive days or 70 hours in eight consecutive days, depending on whether the motor carrier operates commercial motor vehicles every day of the week.

These limits are intended to prevent drivers from accumulating excessive work hours over multiple days.

A driver who appears to have complied with the daily driving limit could still potentially violate the applicable weekly limit if the driver’s accumulated on-duty time is too high.

What Is an Electronic Logging Device?

Electronic logging devices, commonly called ELDs, play an important role in modern trucking safety.

An ELD is designed to automatically record certain information relating to a commercial driver’s driving activity and hours-of-service records. FMCSA explains that an ELD synchronizes with the vehicle’s engine to automatically record driving time, helping create more accurate records of duty status.

ELD information can become important evidence after a truck accident.

For example, investigators may examine records to determine:

• When the driver began working
• When the driver began driving
• How long the vehicle was operating
• Whether the driver took required breaks
• Whether the driver exceeded applicable driving limits
• Whether the driver’s recorded activities are consistent with other evidence
• Whether there are discrepancies between the driver’s records and other available information
  
  

The ELD rule applies to most drivers and motor carriers that are required to maintain records of duty status, although federal law provides certain exceptions.

Because exceptions exist, investigators should not assume that every commercial truck is subject to identical recordkeeping requirements.

What Other Records Can Help Investigate a Truck Accident?

An ELD is only one potential source of evidence.

Truck accident investigations can involve numerous records and data sources that help reconstruct the driver’s activities before the collision.

Dispatch Records

Dispatch information may show when a driver was assigned a route, when a delivery was expected, and whether the driver was under time pressure.

These records may be relevant when investigating whether scheduling or delivery demands contributed to unsafe driving practices.

GPS and Fleet Tracking Data

Many commercial fleets use GPS and vehicle tracking systems.

These systems may help establish where a truck traveled, when it stopped, how long it remained in particular locations, and how its movements correspond with the driver’s recorded hours.

Shipping and Delivery Records

Bills of lading, delivery schedules, shipping documents, and appointment records can help investigators understand the driver’s work schedule before a crash.

These records may provide additional information that can be compared with ELD and GPS data.

Fuel and Toll Records

Fuel purchases and toll transactions can also provide useful timing information.

For example, a transaction may establish that the vehicle was at a particular location at a particular time. Investigators can compare this information with the driver’s log and other records to identify inconsistencies.

Video Evidence

Dashcam footage, traffic cameras, surveillance cameras, nearby businesses, and other video sources may help establish what happened immediately before and during a collision.

Video can be particularly useful when determining lane position, speed, traffic conditions, driver behavior, and the sequence of events.

Witness Statements

Other motorists, passengers, pedestrians, first responders, and witnesses may have observed signs of unsafe truck operation.

A witness may report that a truck was drifting between lanes, braking unexpectedly, traveling erratically, or failing to respond to traffic.

Witness statements should be considered alongside physical evidence and documentary records rather than in isolation.

Do Truck Drivers Have to Inspect Their Vehicles?

Driver responsibilities extend beyond hours of service.

Commercial drivers have safety responsibilities involving the condition and operation of their vehicles. Depending on the circumstances and applicable regulations, inspections and defect reporting can become important parts of a truck accident investigation.

A truck with defective brakes, worn tires, defective lights, steering problems, or another dangerous mechanical condition can create serious risks.

If a crash occurs because a commercial vehicle was not properly maintained or a known defect was not addressed, the investigation may need to look beyond the driver.

Potentially responsible parties can include the trucking company, vehicle owner, maintenance provider, parts manufacturer, or another entity involved in the vehicle’s maintenance or operation.

Can a Trucking Company Be Responsible for a Safety Violation?

A truck accident claim does not always involve only the individual driver.

Depending on the facts, a trucking company may have responsibilities involving hiring, training, supervision, scheduling, vehicle maintenance, cargo operations, and regulatory compliance.

For example, an investigation may examine whether the company:

• Hired a driver without properly reviewing qualifications
• Failed to provide appropriate training
• Failed to supervise a driver
• Ignored safety violations
• Failed to maintain a commercial vehicle
• Encouraged unsafe driving schedules
• Pressured a driver to meet unreasonable delivery deadlines
• Failed to address known safety problems
• Allowed a driver to operate despite signs of fatigue or impairment
  
  

The exact legal theories available depend on the facts of the case and the relationships among the parties.

The important point is that a truck accident investigation should not automatically stop at the driver’s actions.

Does a Federal Safety Violation Automatically Prove Negligence?

Not necessarily.

A violation of a federal trucking regulation can be important evidence, but determining legal liability requires analyzing the facts, applicable law, causation, and damages.

For example, if a driver violated an hours-of-service rule but the violation had no connection to the accident, the violation may not establish that the violation caused the collision.

Conversely, evidence that a driver was operating beyond applicable limits immediately before falling asleep and causing a crash could be highly relevant.

This is one reason truck accident claims can require detailed investigations rather than relying on a single record or rule.