Technology has its perks, and keeping dangerous drivers off the roads might be one of them. Today, federal guidelines require truck drivers to have electronic devices installed in their vehicles. These devices track their total work hours, helping prevent drivers from working too many hours in a week.
The goal of the new regulations is to keep tired drivers off the roads. Presently, drivers may work no more than 14 hours in one day and have a total limit of 11 hours behind the wheel during that time.
The new device costs around $288 per truck. Some say that it’s unfair to place the cost burden on drivers, especially since fatigue only results in a small number of accidents. In 2015, only 55 fatal accident reports showed fatigue as a cause, according to the data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
The technology isn’t just good for tracking driving hours, though. It also shows which customers hold the truckers up longer while loading and who gets them back on the road the fastest. Good businesses use that information to make decisions on their customer bases to meet their bottom lines.
As someone who travels often, it would be amazing to know that there’s a lower risk of injury to yourself and your loved ones. This piece of technology is just one way that truck drivers can be held accountable. If it shows the driver who hit you was over his or her hourly limit, you have a good reason to pursue compensation and hold the driver accountable for his or her actions.
Source: Houston Chronicle, “Is technology the answer to getting tired truckers off the road?,” Andrea Rumbaugh, Dec. 20, 2017
