Commercial Driver Maximum Hour Requirements

As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury and wrongful death lawyer, I have handled commercial truck wreck cases throughout Texas since 1991. I know from experience that one of the most common reasons a trucker with a commercial driver’s license is found to be the negligent “at-fault” motorist is that they are were actually overtired.

Driver fatigue is a major problem – and is a leading cause of traffic accidents involving 18 wheelers, buses and other commercial vehicles. Although laws introduced in 2003 aimed to limit the amount of hours a CDL driver could spend “on-duty,” an alarming number of truckers, bus drivers and their employers either falsify their logs or else ignore the law completely. If this is the case in your crash, then it is relatively easy for your attorney to prove them responsible.

What are the Rules Concerning “Hours of Service”?

“On-duty” refers to all time the driver is technically working. This includes all time spent driving or otherwise in their vehicle, any time spent inspecting or repairing their vehicle, any time spend loading or unloading, and any waiting time. Basically, it means any time they spent on the job, other than time they spent sleeping.

Truck drivers may not drive for more than 11 consecutive hours and may not drive after being “on-duty” for more than 14 hours total. They are required to have had at least 10 consecutive hours “off-duty” time prior to beginning their shift.

The hours-of-service requirements for bus drivers are even more stringent: they are not permitted to drive more than 10 hours and may not drive after being “on-duty” for more than 15 hours. The required “off-duty” time for bus drivers prior to starting their shift is eight consecutive hours.

For both property-carrying and passenger-carrying motor carriers, drivers are restricted to a maximum of 60 hours “on-duty” every seven days (if the carrier does not operate every day of the week). If the motor carrier operates every day, then this limit changes to 70 hours in eight days. After reaching this limit, there is a required 34 consecutive hours of “off-duty” time which must elapse before they are permitted to begin the time calculation again.

For a no fee, no obligation consultation on your commercial vehicle accident, please call the Anderson Law Firm toll free at 800-354-6275 or locally in DFW at 817-294-1900.

Other Articles You Might Be Interested In:

Proving That a Commercial Motor Carrier was in Violation of “On-Duty” Laws

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Fit To Drive? The Physical Requirements of Truck Drivers in Texas

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