How The Usage Of Electronic Logbooks Can Stop Unsafe Truck Driving?

Driving big rig vehicles is a tough – it’s job that requires a certain skill set and a mind for safety. To ensure safety of the roadways and for those other vehicles and humans on the road, it is essential for truckers to be honest about the long hours they put in especially if they are hard working. However, there are an increasing numbers of lawsuits associated with falsified paper logs which suggest that still many truckers that do not comply with the safety rules just to earn little more money. These falsified documents are the result of exceeding hours of service, which is one of the main reasons behind increasing truck accidents.   Drivers falsify logs so they can continue driving additional hours and miles to make additional pay and sometimes even work for more than one trucking company.

In order to reduce incidents associated with falsified logbooks, The Department of Transportation (DOT) has moved up the expected publication date for a final rule mandating the use of electronic logging device to September 30, 2015.

Electronic logging devices (ELD’s) would supplant the need for paper logs and make it increasingly difficult to falsify their records. ELD’s work via a recorder is attached to the truck that will record its location and operational information. It requires drivers to log in when they start driving. The system will know if the truck is moving or stop and accurately log miles and time.

These electronic logging devices will store all the data that can be extremely helpful to track work related information of the drivers. Usage of this technology will make it difficult for drivers to manipulate their logbooks based on their own. This technology includes real time data recording that will allow trucking companies to monitor vehicles and stop unsafe driving practices to enhance road safety.  Perhaps, in the future the governors in these ELD’s may actually be able to self-report speeding and other unsafe habits that result in trucking injuries and truck related fatalities.

ELD’s can be considered as a warning for both drivers and commercial transport companies, as it is expected that truck accidents lawyers will use data of electronic logging devices to expose driving negligence or improper supervision and assist in accident reconstruction.

How The Driver’s Documents Can Be Helpful In Resolving Accident Cases?

There are many rules and laws regarding the safety of people on road. But when someone breaks the law, he or she poses a threat not just to himself, but to others on road. Every big vehicle on road is like a ticking time bomb if not driven properly.

Road accidents involving heavy commercial vehicles often lead to devastating outcomes.  The sheer force of the vehicle with its mass upon impact can create quite a crunch and can permanently alter and extinguish life.

There are laws to protect the truck accident victims, but it is also a hard truth that the victims of such brutal accidents face lots of obstacles in obtaining justice and sufficient compensation due to the intricacies involved in litigation.  Immediately after the accident, the professionals from the insurance company may try to lock you into statements while under the stress of the event, and anything you say may be used against you.

In you or someone you know has fallen victim to such an unfortunate trucking incident, you should consult a truck accident injury attorney. An experienced lawyer can help you get justice by investigating all the aspects and documents associated with the case.

In most, if not all of truck accident cases it is essential to request the correct documents especially those in the driver’s file. Some of the documents that can significantly help in tracking the history of a driver include-

The driver investigation record
Employment documents – Personnel File
State driving license (including record)
Medical certificate (CDL clearance)
Alcohol and drug testing record

These documents may hold decisive information about the driver, which could be helpful in identifying the medical situations (if any). It will also reveal the driver’s history that can help in identifying whether safety violations have been done by the driver in the past and whether the driver is legally prohibited from driving (due to some medical conditions, unlawful activity, etc.).

An experienced trucking lawyer can dig deep for the information during an investigation, as they are backed by years of experience in handling such sensitive catastrophic injury cases.