There are many regulations that truck companies and drivers must adhere to. These regulations are designed to keep the profession as safe as possible, not only for the drivers, but for others on the road as well. One of those regulations affects the number of hours each driver can spend on the road before taking a break for a fairly substantial amount of time. Ideally at least a portion of that break would be spent resting.

A new regulation regarding drivers' hours of services is set to go into effect this summer. Known as the HOS rule, the new rule is more restrictive than the one currently in place. Several individuals in the legislature recently requested that Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood put off the implementation of that rule for several months after a matter related to it is ruled on by a federal court of appeals. The lawmakers seeking the stay believe it will alleviate confusion around the new regulation as well as lost time and money spent training on the new regulation should the court decision go against it.

Earlier this year the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration denied a similar request made by the American Trucking Association.

There is no question that trucks play an important role in today's society. When involved in a motor vehicle accident, they can also cause serious injuries. This is particularly true when other vehicles involved in a crash are much smaller. For this reason, most would likely agree that any steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of a truck accident occurring is a good idea.

Source: The Trucker News Services, "Top House transport committee members ask LaHood to delay implementation of new HOS," March 20, 2013

• We handle personal injury cases including those related to truck accident injuries. If you would like to learn more about our practice, please visit our Butler County truck accidents page.