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Q: How do trucking companies make sure their drivers are driving safely?
A:
What trucking companies do and what they are supposed to do to make sure their drivers are safe are often two different things.
Most 18 wheeler companies are supposed to follow the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. These are government regulations that apply to trucking companies that do business in more than one state. For those trucking companies that do not cross state lines, the trucking regulations put out by their home state must be followed.
The trucking regulations list many things the trucking companies must do to make sure their drivers are safe.
The 18 wheeler companies must check the backgrounds of the drivers they hire. They must make sure they do not have criminal backgrounds, and that they do not have bad driving records. They must get references from other trucking companies the person has worked for. They must conduct pre-employment examinations, to include drug testing.
The trucking companies must monitor their employees' driving through "driver's logs." This safety feature may be implemented through manual logs, or computerized logs. If done manually, the truck driver completes a paper driver's log every day, to reflect the hours he or she was: driving, on duty but not driving, and off-duty. Trucking companies may also implement this safety feature through computers which are installed in the 18 wheelers which track all of this information. The purpose of this is so the trucking companies can make sure their drivers do not violate what is called the "hours of service requirements" of the trucking regulations. Trucking regulations specify the maximum number of hours truck drivers may be on duty for any given time. The purpose of these regulations is to ensure truck drivers are not spending too many hours behind the wheel, which would result in tired (fatigued) truck drivers on our roadways.
18 wheeler companies are supposed to check the driving records of their drivers at least once per year, and if a driver's record begins to show repeat violations, they are supposed to take steps to re-train the driver or remove him from our roadways. The trucking companies are also required to conduct random drug testing.
These are just some of the major trucking regulations that must be followed to ensure safety on our roadways. While some trucking companies follow the regulations, far too many of them ignore the regulations and place the motoring public in peril every day.
For more information on trucking regulations, please contact us and our Houston 18 Wheeler Injury Lawyers will help you.
Vujasinovic & Beckcom P.L.L.C
1001 Texas Avenue
Suite 1020
Houston, TX 77002
Phone: 713.224.7800
Fax: 713.224.7801

