Watch Out For Tired Truckers on Tennessee Roads

You don’t want to think about the possibility that the trucker driving the 18-wheeler behind you could be extremely drowsy.  Tired truckers often have slower reaction times to potential hazards and have difficulty focusing on the road.  That means if you slam on your brakes to avoid an accident, the truck driving behind you may not stop in time.

Federal regulations allow truckers to drive 11 hours straight, which is part of the Hours of Service (HOS) rules, which specify how long a trucker can drive without taking a break.  These rules are supposed to keep truckers from becoming too tired to drive, which can lead to serious truck crashes.

There has been some debate regarding the amount of time a truck driver should be allowed behind the wheel and the research that has been done on this subject has come up with various results.  For example, the National Transportation Safety Board found that as many as 30 to 40 percent of large truck accidents are associated with tired truckers.  However, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration believes that only 5.5 percent of all large truck crashes can be linked to driver fatigue.

If you have been injured in a large truck accident in Tennessee, you need to contact an experienced truck accident lawyer at Phillip Miller & Associates at (800) 337-HURT (4878) or (615) 356-2000.  Truck accident cases are complex, but we have the experience to go head to head with trucking companies and their insurance companies. 

The article, “Tired Truckers Cause Serious Accidents,” has more information on this topic.