Sharing the Georgia roads with large trucks can be intimidating. The size of these vehicles is bad enough, but when factoring in driver behavior, it makes it exponentially more concerning that there will be a collision.
Federal agencies strive to ensure truckers adhere to the rules to try and limit the chance of a crash. One important step was to require trucks to have an electric logging device to accurately gauge how long drivers have been on the road.
Unfortunately, some drivers try to skirt the device. To address this, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is implementing strategies to stop the practice. However, despite their efforts, drivers might still try to bypass the rules.
Regulatory agencies try to stop truckers from getting around ELD rules
Since ELDs replaced drivers writing their hours-of-service in a logbook, some have tried to work around the rules. Drivers are required to limit the amount of driving they do in specific time frames. This is to avoid accidents because of drowsiness and to dissuade them from using drugs to stay awake and continue driving, among other reasons.
The National Transportation Safety Board stated that some drivers have more than one ELD account so they can continue driving. Others are using “ghost” drivers. The FMCSA is trying to stay ahead of these tactics by identifying fraud and penalizing drivers and companies who violate the rules.
An accident in late-2022 highlighted the issue. A driver falsified his ELD recordings and did so with help from the company he worked for. He went past the maximum number of hours for which he was legally allowed to be on the road.
Drivers can work for 11 hours after they have had 10 hours off. The truck collided with a party bus and investigators cited fatigue as a contributing issue in the incident. Three people died and nine were injured.
The National Transportation Safety Board recommends that the ELD software be updated to track drivers’ data entry. This could give a clearer indication of when drivers are adhering to the rules and when they are not.
People impacted by an encounter with a truck should know their rights
Since truck accidents can have severe consequences, it is imperative for people who have been hurt or lost a loved one to know their rights. The circumstances need to be assessed to determine what happened. Evidence is also crucial. Those who are facing the aftermath of a truck collision should be aware of their options and know how to proceed to hold companies and drivers accountable.