When a large commercial truck collides with a smaller car on the highway, the results can be devastating. Passengers and drivers in smaller vehicles could suffer brain injuries, burns, disfigurement or broken bones, while a commercial truck driver may simply walk away from the accident completely unharmed.
Due to the serious damage truck accidents can cause, trucking companies in North Carolina must follow certain state and federal laws in order to ensure the safety of others on our roads. Commercial trucks must meet certain safety requirements and be taken in for proper maintenance when necessary, and drivers must keep detailed logs regarding when they are driving in order to make sure that drivers do not exceed the maximum number of hours they are allowed to spend behind the wheel each day.
Failing to follow these requirements not only could result in disciplinary action taken by regulators or trucking companies, but neglecting these important laws could also mean putting the lives of others at risk.
After a trucking company based in North Carolina was recently investigated by the U.S Department of Transportation, it was discovered that the owner was falsifying his employees’ driving logs. This month, the owner of the trucking company pleaded guilty to the charges, admitting that some of his employees had been exceeding the maximum number of hours they were allowed to work.
The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires that drivers log their number of hours behind the wheel and that they not exceed more than 11 hours on-duty. They are also required to log at least 10 hours off-duty after a shift in order to make sure that drivers are properly rested before working again.
However, the owner of the North Carolina trucking company admitted that he falsified drivers’ logs so that regulators would not detect that employees were exceeding the maximum number of hours they were allowed to work. The owner could be sentenced to serve five years in prison for the charges.
Source: News & Observer, “NC trucking company owner may face prison, fines over falsified driving logs,” Amanda James, Jan. 11, 2012