Trucking companies and drivers are held to higher standards than other motorists due to the significant risks posed by large commercial vehicles. Trucking companies must comply with various regulations, including safety inspections, maintenance schedules, and driver training. Read more about these standards and hiring a lawyer for legal problems.
Drivers must meet strict requirements for licensing, medical qualifications, and driving hours. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) oversees and enforces these regulations, ensuring that trucking companies and drivers are held accountable for maintaining safety standards. The higher standards help protect other motorists on the road and reduce the risk of accidents involving commercial trucks.
Understanding how trucking companies and drivers are held to higher standards:
- Regulations
Trucking companies and drivers are subject to various regulations to maintain safety standards. These regulations cover vehicle maintenance, safety inspections, and driver training. Companies and drivers who violate these regulations can face fines, legal action, and suspension of licenses. Regulations are regularly updated and enforced by the FMCSA to ensure that trucking companies and drivers are held accountable for their actions and to reduce the risk of accidents on the road.
- Licensing
To ensure that commercial truck drivers are qualified to operate large commercial vehicles safely, they must obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and pass a series of tests demonstrating their knowledge and skills. Licensing requirements also include age restrictions and the absence of certain criminal convictions. These standards are in place to ensure that only qualified and responsible drivers are operating commercial trucks on the road, reducing the risk of accidents and promoting public safety.
- Medical qualifications
Commercial truck drivers must meet strict medical qualifications to ensure they are physically capable of safely operating a commercial vehicle. The qualifications include requirements for vision, hearing, blood pressure, and other health conditions that could impair driving ability.
Drivers must undergo regular medical exams to maintain their certification. These standards are in place to ensure that drivers are healthy enough to operate commercial trucks safely and to prevent medical emergencies that could lead to accidents on the road.
- Hours of service
Commercial truck drivers are subject to strict regulations regarding the number of hours they can drive and required rest periods to prevent fatigue-related accidents. These regulations limit how long a driver can operate a commercial vehicle continuously and the number of hours they can work in a given period. Drivers must keep accurate records of their service hours, and commercial trucks must have electronic logging devices that accurately record driving time and rest periods to prevent drivers from exceeding legal limits.
- Electronic logging devices
To ensure drivers comply with hours-of-service regulations, commercial trucks must have electronic logging devices (ELDs) that accurately record driving time and rest periods. ELDs prevent drivers from falsifying their logs or exceeding legal limits, promoting compliance with safety standards and reducing the risk of accidents caused by driver fatigue. ELDs are mandatory for most commercial truck drivers and companies, and non-compliance can result in fines and legal action.