Truck accidents are a very real danger on roads throughout the United States, with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reporting 330,000 trucks were involved in 2012 collisions. Almost 4,000 people died in 2012 truck crashes, and 104,000 people got hurt.
Because West Virginia truck accidents are so common, it would seem any rules or regulations passed by the federal government would be aimed at bringing down the rate of deadly accidents. Unfortunately, this is not the trend which is occurring. In fact, recent actions taken by federal law makers seem to be going in the opposite direction and making the roads less safe.
Are Federal Lawmakers Undermining Truck Safety Rules?
One successful effort on the part of federal lawmakers to undermine truck safety rules came in the December 2015 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act. This Act was a piece of budget legislation aimed at keeping the government funded and open. Although it had virtually nothing to do with trucking regulations, there was a provision stuck into it which forced the suspension of a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation (FMCSR) related to hours-on-duty.
The Act ended up suspending a rule which had been put in place related to a 34-hour rest break for truckers who had driven 60 hours over a week or 70 hours over eight days. FMCSRs stipulated a 34-hour rest break in these situations, with two periods of the rest break taking place between 1:00 AM and 5:00 AM. Trucking industry groups had objected to this because they didn’t want to have to be on the roads during the day and industry groups even challenged the regulation in court and lost. Federal lawmakers, however, caved to those who wanted the rest break rules thrown out and included the provision suspending them in the must-pass budget legislation.
Klie Law Offices 85 West Main Street Buckhannon, WV 26201 Toll Free: (866) 408-9059 Local: (304) 472-5007 Fax: (304) 472-1126
