Recently there has been much talk and “traffic” about hours of service regulations for 18 Wheelers.
Hours of service (HOS) regulations define how much a driver can drive during certain periods of time and apply to commercial motor vehicles (CMVs).
An important first question is what qualifies as a CMV for purposes of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations Hour of Service Rules. 18 Wheelers typically do of course, but other vehicles qualify also.
Defining Commercial Motor Vehicles
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration defines commercial motor vehicle on its website as in general “a vehicle that is used as part of a business and is involved in interstate commerce and weighs more than 10,001 pounds.”
There are other vehicles that can qualify as a CMV including but not limited to, any vehicle carrying hazardous material in quantities requiring placards, any vehicle designed or used to transport nine or more passengers for compensation, or any vehicle designed or used to transport 16 or more passengers, not for compensation.
Understanding Hours of Service Rules
The second question would be what are the current hours of service rules. The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015 was enacted Dec. 16, 2014, and suspended enforcement of requirements for use of certain hours of service requirements. The current regulations appear here.
It is important to note that in any wreck with an 18 wheeler, the trucking company will have experts on the scene almost immediately gathering evidence and attempting to reconstruct the wreck.
These wrecks are very different than wrecks between two regular passenger cars. People injured in 18 wheeler wrecks typically benefit from having legal representation immediately.
McMath Woods P.A. has experience in catastrophic 18 wheeler wreck cases and stands ready to dispatch consultants and experts to the scene of the wreck to help preserve evidence on behalf of clients and ensure justice. These cases are handled on a contingency fee basis with no fee owed if no recovery is made.
Contact us to discuss your case. We have represented individuals significantly injured in these types of truck wrecks, including cases involving serious injury and death.
