Trucks are much larger than most other vehicles on the roads in Ohio and can cause severe damage and injuries when they are involved in truck accidents. Due to this fact, truck drivers are held to even higher standards when driving than other drivers on the road. This is important to help ensure that they do not cause these highly dangerous accidents.
Truck drivers have even stricter rules regarding phone use while driving. They also cannot consume alcohol or drugs at all while driving and on duty. It is also dangerous when drivers are too tired while driving. If a truck driver falls asleep for even a couple of seconds the consequences could be absolutely catastrophic and; therefore, there are also strict rules for how long a driver can drive per day and per week.
Hours of service rules
Federal laws state that truck drivers cannot drive for more than 11 hours after taking a break of 10 consecutive hours. These 11 hours must be driven in a 14-hour period of time after the 10-hour break as well. These time restrictions can be extended by two hours if there are bad driving conditions that slow the driver down. They also must take a 30-minute break after driving for eight hours.
In addition to the limits on how much truck drivers can drive during a single day, there are also limits on how long they can drive during a week. They can only drive 60 hours in a seven-day period or 70 in an eight-day period of time. After these seven or eight days, truck drivers must take off at least 34 hours.
There is pressure on truck drivers in Ohio to make their deliveries in as short of time as possible though. This can force truck drivers to drive longer than the law allows. This can cause them to become drowsy, which can lead to accidents involving innocent victims. The lives of the victims can be completely changed due to the injuries they suffer. They may be able to receive compensation from the truck driver though. This compensation can be very valuable and consulting with experienced attorneys could be beneficial.