Changes coming to trucker log books
Auto accidents involving semi-trucks are not uncommon in Utah. According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), between 3,000 and 4,000 people die in large truck and bus accidents every year in the United States. Thirteen percent of these fatalities are caused by fatigued drivers. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA) issues hours of service regulations for anyone operating a commercial motor vehicle in the United States. These regulations limit the number of daily and weekly hours spent driving and working, as well as the minimum amount of rest drivers must receive between driving shifts. These regulations apply whether you’re in Utah or anywhere in the United States, but there are state regulations specific to Utah as well.
Drivers of a commercial motor vehicle, such as truck drivers and bus drivers, are required to keep a record of their working hours using a log book. The main purpose of these regulations is to prevent auto accidents caused by driver fatigue. However, it is no secret that drivers often “re-work” the numbers slightly to reflect the maximum distance traveled in the shortest amount of time possible. This allows them to say that they have had the full 10 hours of rest required by law when they may have been on duty much longer.
Government research has shown that companies who have been found in violation of the hours-of-service rules 10 percent of the time have a crash rate that is 40 percent higher than the rest of the trucking population. In response, the DOT requires companies who have been found in violation on more than 10 percent of reports and logs to use electronic on-board recorders (EOBR), which automatically record the amount of time spent driving the vehicle and the distance driven.
In an effort to reduce the amount of auto accidents caused by truckers, the FMSCA has started enforcing new hours of service regulations just in the past year. Drivers of commercial vehicles must take a half hour break within their initial eight hours. Drivers must have a 34-hour off-duty periods once per week and they must include two periods from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Also, the maximum weekly driving time has been lowered to 70 hours. In addition, a bill has been introduced in the Senate to require all motor carriers to install EOBRs.
The electronic log book mandate has not been put into effect and may not be for several years. New regulations are well intentioned, but without proper enforcement drivers can fudge the numbers just as they always have. There are companies that use EOBRs, but if all companies were required to use EOBRs we might see a decrease in auto accidents caused by large trucks in Utah.
Kylie Moore is a writer at Fusion 360 Agency in Salt Lake City, where she writes about Adams Davis P.C. attorneys and other local businesses.