Clear Lake, Texas Truck Driver Fatigue Attorneys

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is a federal agency responsible for oversight of the commercial trucking industry. Under guidelines enacted into law in 2003, truck drivers are allowed to drive 77 hours over 7 consecutive days and 88 hours over 8 consecutive days without taking a day off. In terms of daily working hours, drivers are allowed to work a maximum of 14 hours a day. These numbers represent an increase from earlier years, placing drivers behind the wheel for longer periods of time without rest. In order to comply with these federal regulations, truck drivers are required to maintain a driver's log. Interestingly enough, at the same time these regulations were passed in 2003, FMCSA rejected an earlier plan to use new technology to electronically monitor a driver's drive time.

The trucking industry has successfully lobbied Congress to extend the amount of time a driver can drive continuously without taking a rest. Given the pressure to deliver goods faster and cheaper, it's not surprising that excessive speeding and driver fatigue are often implicated in truck accidents. If you've been seriously injured in a truck accident involving driver fatigue, contact truck accident lawyers at the Krist Law Firm today to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.

Gathering Evidence of Driver Fatigue

Most trucks have an on-board black box data recorder or a GPS system. When a driver falls asleep or is in the process of continually drifting off to sleep and waking up again, sharp, sudden steering corrections are often evident as in the data from a black box recorder or GPS system. Our office also reviews fuel and credit card receipts, as well as odometer readings and a driver's log entries to determine how long a driver was behind the wheel.

By recreating when and where food or fuel was purchased we can determine how long a driver had to be behind the wheel to get to where he was when an accident happened. When data from the GPS or black box recorder is taken into account with these factors, along with the presence of skid marks, we can often determine if a driver was fatigued or asleep when an accident happened.

Contact Truck Driver Fatigue Attorneys at the Krist Law Firm Today

Our knowledge of the trucking industry and the tactics truck drivers use to hide driver fatigue and falsify log entries means we understand where to look and what evidence to collect. And, since drivers often take stimulants (uppers or "bennies") to stay alert for long periods of time, we know what sorts of drug tests to request.

If you've been injured or have lost a family member in a truck accident caused by driver fatigue, contact truck accident attorneys at the Krist Law Firm in Clear Lake, Texas today to schedule a free appointment to discuss your case.