How often do truck drivers have to take breaks?

Large trucks are blamed for many accidents in Pennsylvania. These trucks cause serious accidents for a variety of reasons. However, many Pennsylvania residents may be aware that truck driver fatigue often factors into truck accidents. You may know that truck drivers are pushed my truck companies to drive as much as possible in the shortest amount of time. This shortens both shipping times and costs. However, it can sacrifice the safety of others on the roads.

To minimize the risk, the federal government has enacted many trucking regulations to help keep truck drivers and others safe. This includes the amount of time that truck drivers can be on the roads in any particular work week. These so-called hours of service rules are supposed to keep truck driver fatigue to a minimum and reduce the risk of accidents caused by sleepy truck drivers.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, truck drivers can only work a maximum of 70 hours in a work week. Once truck drivers have reached 70 hours, they are required to take a break for at least 34 hours. This 34 hour period must include two nights -- from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. -- off. This time gives truck drivers the chance to rest when their bodies demand it the most.

Truck driver particular workdays are also limited. Under the regulations, truck drivers cannot work more than 11 hours in a particular day, or 14 hours during a work day. Furthermore, truck drivers are required to take at least a 30 minute break from driving during the first eight hours of their work day shift.

When truck driver fatigue is suspected in a truck accident, truck accident victims should ensure that these rules were followed by the truck driver. If these rules were broken, this could be evidence of negligence. While this post cannot provide specific advice, truck accident victims can get more specific answers from a qualified attorney.