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What are federal hours of service regulations?

The injuries suffered in a truck accident can be serious, wide-ranging, and long lasting. In other words, they can turn your life upside down. Victims of these kinds of accidents often experience significant physical pain and suffering as well as physical limitations, and their emotional wellbeing can take a hit. The financial ramification of one of these wrecks can be tremendous, too, which is why victims need to consider whether they are justified in pursuing a personal injury lawsuit and, if so, how best to go about it.

Consider hours of service violations

There are a lot of ways to impose liability on a negligent trucker and his or her employer, but showing a violation of trucking regulations can go a long way. Take hours of service as an example. Regulations pertaining to hours of service are meant to ensure that truckers are well rested and alert behind the wheel. They limit driving hours to 60 hours in any seven-day period and 70 hours in any eight-day period.

But the regulations are much more detailed than that. For example, truckers can only drive for 11 hours after taking a 10-hour long break, and those 11 hours can only stretch to the 14th hour after the trucker comes back on duty. Rest breaks have to be taken periodically, too, all in hopes of keeping other motorists safe.

Building your legal claim

Yet, the sad reality is that truckers and their employers see time as money, meaning that they maintain tight deadlines that oftentimes foster behavior that violate federal trucking regulations. The price paid is then laid on innocent victims. This is unacceptable. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, then you should do everything you can to find accountability and recover the compensation you’re owed. A strong legal advocate can help further your interests in a personal injury lawsuit.