Georgia Truck Accident Attorney Blog

As a Georgia trucking accident trial attorney based in Atlanta, one of the things I always look at after a catastrophic crash is whether a truck driver was dangerously fatigued due, in part, to violation of hours of service rules. It looks like the rules may change yet again.

Prior to 2003, interstate truckers could drive 10 hours out of a 15 hour work day.

Since 2003, truckers have been allowed to drive 11 consecutive hours a day and work up to 14 hours, followed by a 10-hour off-duty period.

Now the safety advocacy group Public Citizen is pushing for a rule limiting truckers to driving 8 hours in a 12 hour work day.

This week, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration submitted its proposed truck driver hours of service rule to the Office of Management and Budget. Details were not released, but most expect some shortening of driving and work hours.

While fatigue from long hours on the road contributes to serious accidents, trucking industry representatives say that shortening the work day will drive up shipping costs and that increasing the number of trucks on the road will increase safety risks.

Two things we can count on are that the controversy will continue in some form far into the future and that those who want to cheat will find ways to cheat.

Continue reading " Trucking hours of service rule may change again " »

Time and time again, as a trucking accident trial attorney in Georgia, I have seen the dangers of overly tired truck drivers who violated Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations hours of service rules. The paper drivers' logs are called "comic books" for a reason. Now we see that 2010 Roadcheck revealed that violations for false logs were up over 18% from 2009. Electronic on-board recorders (EOBR's) are not perfect, they will be better than easily faked paper logs. There are other posts on this blog about driver fatigue, sleep apnea, and the dangers of tired truckers that lead to deaths and injuries of many people each year.

Continue reading " Roadcheck 2010 shows truckers still faking paper logs " »

As Georgia trucking lawyer who has lived in Sandy Springs for 26 years, I was saddened to hear recently that a woman was killed when she was hit by a 18 wheeler on I-285 near Riverwood High School where my son had his glory days in high school football.

Rosario Velez, 44, was in her minivan stopped in the I-285 emergency lane at Riverside Drive, making a phone call, when she was struck by an tractor trailer that, according to the police report, crossed over into the emergency lane to hit her.

Today, Sandy Springs police arrested Joseph Leon Golden, 43, the truck driver from El Paso, Texas. He has been charged with second-degree vehicular homicide and a lane violation, and is being held at the Fulton County Jail on $5,500 bond.

Continue reading " Tractor trailer driver from Texas arrested for death of woman on I-285 " »