In 2013, 3,600 people died in accidents involving large trucks. In those trucking accidents 80% of the fatalities were not the truck drivers.
Large trucks can pose a safety risk to everyone on the road when drivers have not had adequate rest.
Since 1930, commercial drivers have been required to keep paper logs of their driving times. While paper logs help to track drivers’ times, they can easily be altered.
In December, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a regulation which requires commercial truck and bus drivers to use electronic logging devices, or ELDs, to record their hours behind the wheel. ELDs are more difficult to tamper with than paper logs. The 3 million commercial truck and bus drivers across the country were given two years to comply with the new regulation.
There is a provision in the regulation that prohibits harassing anyone because of the data collected by ELDs, preventing the owners of trucking companies from pressuring drivers.
Safety researchers have said that the ELDs will save trucking companies money through decreased paperwork and less litigation from decreased accident.
Most importantly, ELDs can save lives. It is estimated that the industry-wide switch to ELDs can save 26 lives and 562 injuries every year.
If you have been involved in a trucking accident in the Chicago area, contact the Law Offices of Mark L. Karno & Associates today at 312-945-7464 to schedule a consultation.