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The recent accident involving a Wal-Mart trucker and several motor vehicles, including one that was carrying comedian Tracy Morgan, has once again placed commercial truck drivers in the public eye. Some commercial drivers only drive locally and are not expected to leave their immediate areas for days at a time. However, there are many truckers who drive long distances and travel across the country making deliveries. Such drivers are often referred to as "long-haul" drivers; but, as Fort Myers personal injury attorneys will tell you, making that long haul has proven to be very dangerous, not only for the truckers, but also for the other drivers with whom they share the road. In fact, personal injury attorney Randall Spivey, who often handles truck accident cases, knows that "accidents involving semi-tractor trailers, dump trucks, and large trucks all too often can result in catastrophic injuries or death."

Why Do Long-Haul Truckers Have Such a Hard Time on the Road?

There are a number of laws that are geared toward helping to lessen the number of truck accidents and injuries that take place in Florida and all across the nation. But even with the laws that are in place, long-haul truck drivers still run the risk of causing collisions that will place innocent motorists in danger. For instance, some of the newer laws that have been enacted in relation to the trucking industry place restrictions and limitations on long-haul drivers with respect to when the truckers are permitted to drive and when they are required to take breaks.

To be sure, over-the-road or long-haul truckers who traverse the nation on a weekly basis can be seriously affected by all the travel they do, not only physically but also mentally and emotionally. And as your Fort Myers personal injury attorney knows, the stress of meeting strict deadlines and dealing with traffic issues can be quite taxing on a driver, which can ultimately do them and others great harm.

Federal law restricts commercial drivers to 14-hour workdays. The limitation was meant to provide truckers with more rest time; however, the restriction seemingly has eliminated the flexibility that truckers used to have with respect to deadlines, particularly if they have to deal with long traffic jams and/or poor weather conditions. A recent news story noted that the executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association believes that the restrictions have not made things better, but rather, they have made things worse because "a driver might prefer to take two to three hours off to relax or take a nap to avoid the nuttiness, but you can't because [they can't] extend that 14-hour window."

However, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's director of communication issued a fact sheet that stated that the rules do not keep truckers and carriers from making their own schedules, nor do they require drivers to drive only during certain times of the day.  

If you or a loved one has been injured by a truck driver who may have been suffering from fatigue at the time of the accident, contact a Fort Myers personal injury attorney at the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. as soon as possible.