What are the hours of service rules for commercial trucks?

Hundreds of semi trucks travel Ohio's highways on a daily basis. The drivers of these commercial trucks face strict deadlines as they hurry to transport goods to their intended destinations as quickly as possible. Truck drivers often get tired as they drive for long stretches and this fatigue leads to decreased judgment and alertness, which in turn can cause truck accidents. That's why hours of service rules were enacted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Read on to learn more about these important federal trucking regulations.

There are various rules in place now to protect truck drivers as well as the motorists with whom they share the roadways. These laws place limits on the length for which truck drivers can remain on the roadways without taking a break. There are two main categories of limits: those for trucks carrying property and those for trucks carrying passengers.

Trucks carrying property are limited to 11 hours on the road after taking a break of at least ten consecutive hours, while trucks carrying passengers are limited to ten hours after an eight-hour break. Truck drivers carrying property cannot drive after being on duty for 14 consecutive hours, while passenger-carrying drivers are given a 15-hour limit. Trucks carrying property are not allowed to go more than eight hours without a rest break. For trucks carrying passengers, the restrictions are no more than 60 hours driven in seven days or no more than 70 hours in eight days.

Activity is recorded in the trucking log, and while some companies encourage drivers to falsify information in the log, doing so can lead to serious penalties. If an accident were to occur, investigators could obtain information from black boxes inside the truck that record a driver's every move, so it's best not to lie.

Truck driver fatigue is a serious issue. While it's important to meet deadlines, safety should be the number one priority.

Source: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, "Summary of hours of service regulations," accessed July 25, 2015