The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently announced a new exemption for truck drivers and trucking companies involved in transporting agricultural goods and equipment – everything from farm tractors to loads of milk or beets. While the exemption is intended to help farmers and shippers, it may also increase the risk of truck accidents for those who share the road with exempted drivers.
The exemption allows drivers to avoid the hours of service (HOS) requirements while transporting agricultural commodities if the drop-off point is within a 100-mile radius of the pick-up point. Currently, HOS requirements limit the number of hours a driver may be behind the wheel to 11 hours per day and the number of hours a driver may be “on duty” to 14 hours per day.
They also specify how many total hours a driver may work per week and how long a driver must be “off” before restarting the count.
HOS requirements are key to preventing truck driver fatigue, which is a major cause of fatal truck accidents. Certain industries with HOS exemptions, like oilfields, have seen much larger numbers of driver-fatigue-related crashes than industries that follow the HOS rules. One FMCSA study found, for instance, that one-third of all oilfield-related truck crashes were caused by driver fatigue, compared to less than one-fifth for other industries.
Truck driver fatigue puts everyone at risk – both the driver and others on the road. If you’ve been injured in a large truck crash, let a dedicated Knoxville truck crash injury lawyer at Massey & Associates, P.C. help. Our number is (423) 396-0720 – call us today for a free and confidential consultation.
Gary Massey, Jr., is a well-known courtroom advocate practicing law in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Gary is a native of Tennessee who began practicing law in 1998. He graduated from Cumberland School of Law where he was ranked in the top 3% of his class and was an editor of the Cumberland Law Review.
