Paid To Push the Limits: Texas Truck Driver Hours of Service Violations

Driver fatigue is a concern for anyone behind the wheel, especially for truck drivers who drive hundreds of miles every day. Everyone knows that driver fatigue causes accidents to happen and these wrecks are even more dangerous and usually fatal when an 80,000 pound truck is involved. To protect truck drivers and regular commuters from accidents, federal regulations limit the hours of service (HOS) which truck drivers can work in a given period. Unfortunately, many Texas 18-wheeler accidents are caused when truck drivers ignore these regulations or when they are forced to drive more hours than they should. If you've been hurt in a Texas truck accident, it's important to know how these regulations affect liability in your personal injury claim. For instance, if a truck driver ignored the limits on how long they could operate their semi-truck, it could help prove their liability for your 18-wheeler accident.

Basic Hours of Service Rules in Texas

Based upon the rules set by the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration, truck drivers in Texas are required not to:

Drive more than 11 hours during a 14 hour shift
Work no more than 60 hours in a seven day period
Work no more than 70 hours in an eight day period

These rules are intended to make our highways safer, but unfortunately so many semi-truck drivers in Texas are paid to push the limits. Their employers don't care about what the law says, or your safety. All that matters to them is getting the most out of their drivers and trucks in the least amount of time possible - even if it means breaking the law.

Did the Truck Driver Responsible For Your Wreck Commit an Hours of Service Violation?

Truck accidents require their victims to act quickly if they want to be treated fairly. The trucking industry is well-known for their ability to hide and destroy evidence that proves their fault in causing the wreck. One of the most common ways they do this is by destroying the truck driver's log-book or onboard computer records that prove how long the trucker was on the road. These records are invaluable to your personal injury claim. But by working with a skilled Texas 18-wheeler accident attorney, you can help ensure that these hours of service log books remain intact.

The encouragement by a trucking company to break the HOS laws in Texas, or any Hours of Service violation committed by a commercial truck driver is a serious breach of the driver's and employer's duty to drive safely. At the Anderson Law Firm in Fort Worth, our semi-truck accident lawyers know how to investigate the possibility that your accident and injury may have been caused by an HOS violation and see that justice is done in you 18-wheeler accident case. If you would like to set up a free, no obligation case consultation with one of our attorneys, please call 817-294-1900 or contact us online.

Other Articles You Might Be Interested In:
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Will the federal and state laws that regulate truck drivers help me with my personal injury claim?
The truck's insurance company is offering me money. Should I take it?
Why is it important to investigate my 18-wheeler accident as soon as possible?

The Anderson Law Firm offers free no obligation consultations to people injured in accidents or who have suffered physical harm as a result of someone else's actions. We do not charge you to initially discuss your situation and establish whether you have a claim to pursue. You can call us and discuss your case over the phone, we can set up an appointment for you to come into our office, or we can visit you in your home anywhere in the metroplex.

If after meeting with us you decide that we are the best personal injury lawyer for you, then we will enter into a contingent fee agreement. This means that we only get paid when we win a settlement or jury verdict in your favor. You don't pay us anything up front. We will cover all expenses spent working on your case. Only when we win for you will you need to pay us. If we don't win, then you owe us nothing.

Contact us online now or call us 24 hours a day toll free on 1-800-354-MARK (1-800-345-6-275). You can also call us locally in Fort Worth on 817-294-1900 or in Dallas on 214-327-8000.

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