Truck Accidents - Unrealistic Schedules

Trucking companies make their money by delivering loads on time – and in today’s competitive economic climate, some trucking companies go beyond timeliness to impose unrealistic schedules on their drivers. Serious truck accidents are the result.  In fact, unrealistic scheduling is one of the major factors behind semi-truck accidents, causing millions of dollars in damage and truck accident injuries each year.

Under Pennsylvania law, if you have been injured in a vehicle accident that was caused by another person's carelessness or recklessness, you may be entitled to recover damages that include medical costs, property loss, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Please call Munley, Munley & Cartwright's truck accident lawyers toll-free at (800) 318-LAW1 for a free assessment of your case or use our online contact form. We have offices conveniently located in Stroudsburg, Carbondale, Hamlin, Hazleton, Scranton, and Wilkes-Barre, PA.

FMCSA Regulations

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulates the commercial trucking industry, including how many hours truck drivers are permitted to operate their vehicles on a daily and weekly basis. The current laws mandate that commercial truck drivers follow the 11-hour and 60/70 rules:

• Truck drivers may not drive more than 11 consecutive hours within a 14-hour period followed by 10 hours off duty;
• Truck drivers may spend no more than a total of 60 hours on duty within any seven-day period or 70 hours on duty within any eight-day period. A new weekly period cannot begin until the truck driver has spent at least 34 hours off duty.

Regardless of federal regulations, companies continue to establish schedules that are simply not possible to meet without breaking some rules. Drivers must choose whether to skip a rest period or a much-needed truck maintenance stop – or whether the speeding ticket they incur is worth the extra hour or so gained by driving dangerously fast.

When an accident occurs as a result of the too-tight deadline, the trucking company will act quickly to minimize damages, sometimes even destroying log books that keep track of the number of hours the driver spent on the road. Trucking companies also have their own legal teams who are familiar with the laws and how to use them to their clients’ advantage. If you are involved in an accident with a distracted truck driver, you need a well-qualified attorney who understands how to properly represent your claim.

Contact Our Truck Accident Lawyers Today

The Munley, Munley & Cartwright firm has years of experience in dealing with truck accident claims. Our Pennsylvania truck accident lawyers are familiar with all of the techniques that the trucking companies and their insurers may use to influence you to settle quickly and for less compensation. Trucking companies have a team of investigators, adjustors, agents and legal help to protect them. As the accident victim, you need your own team of legal experts to protect you.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a trucking accident, you deserve experienced legal representation from a firm who understands the challenges you face as a result of your injuries and who is committed to obtaining the compensation you deserve. When truck drivers knowingly engage in behavior that puts others at risk, they must be held accountable – and you shouldn’t have to pay the ultimate price for their negligent and reckless refusal to drive safely.

At Munley, Munley & Cartwright, our goal is to provide exceptional legal services to our clients. Our Pennsylvania truck accident attorneys strive to achieve the highest standard of excellence for the protection of individual rights through team work and the use of our considerable resources and experience. For a free consultation regarding your legal concerns, contact our truck accident lawyers online today or call us toll free at (800) 318-LAW1.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why is unrealistic scheduling such a major contributor to trucking accidents?

Schedules and deadlines determine how and when a truck driver operates his or her vehicle. Unrealistic schedules given to the driver automatically create a scenario in which the driver will be forced to forgo mandated rest periods, falsify his log books, or drive faster than the posted speed limit. Unrealistic scheduling contributes to driver fatigue, drowsy driving, driving on amphetamines, driving recklessly, driving in bad weather, and speeding.

2. Why do trucking companies set deadlines that can’t be met?

Trucking companies make money by delivering loads on time. Every day there are countless numbers of trucking companies competing for deliveries, and the company that consistently makes deliveries on time will be the most profitable. From the trucking company’s perspective, a few speeding tickets or complaints about drivers may be worth the competitive edge it can maintain by delivering quickly – and more quickly than its competitors. If a trucking company promises that it can deliver the load quicker than a competitor, it has to find a way to make good on that promise – and an unrealistic schedule is the result.

3. How do trucking companies hide the evidence when an unrealistic schedule causes an accident?

Trucking companies may destroy log books that record the number of hours a driver spent behind the wheel. These books are required to be maintained only for a certain time period, and if the accident claim is filed after that time, the trucking company may be able to easily destroy the evidence. Trucking companies can also fire drivers or try to shift blame on the driver.