Are you a long-haul driver? Driving a truck for a living can be a great career, but it can lead to some fatigue and other issues. Unfortunately, many truck driving accidents may be attributed to truck drivers being tired or falling asleep behind the wheel, which can be dangerous for everyone involved.
Some legalities revolve around trucking and safety. If you are worried about being a truck driver who may fall asleep behind the wheel, you should know the legal perspectives related to driving while tired and the safety measures you can take to stay safe behind the wheel even as you manage longer hauls. Here are some things you should consider.
Fatigue-Related Truck Driving Accidents Are A Reality
Whether you are always safe behind the wheel driving through Nashville and have never encountered feeling fatigued while working or not, you should know that fatigue-related truck driving accidents are a reality. They can be costly and potentially deadly. For example, Nashville has experienced a massive 20 percent increase in tractor-trailer accidents. Those numbers are concerning and should help to raise awareness as to why and how these accidents occur.
When fatigue-related trucking accidents happen in Nashville and other areas, drivers of trucks are often less aware of their surroundings and make more reckless decisions. These decisions can lead to costly wrecks that involve several vehicles or can lead to wrecks that are just a single truck crashing on its own. Either way, the results of getting behind the wheel when tired can lead to disastrous results.
Driving While Fatigued Can Have Legal Consequences
If you get behind the wheel of your rig and you’re tired, there can be serious consequences you may face. Even if you don’t get into a wreck, you may still get in trouble with your employer or the state you’re driving through for not taking the required breaks you’re supposed to. You may even be required to log these breaks so they are placed on official records.
As a general rule, you should take required breaks after a set number of hours of straight driving. If you are unaware of what these required breaks are, ask your employer or check with the local police department or DMV regarding commercial trucking laws and breaks. This way, you can keep fatigue-related driving at bay.
What Can Happen If You Get Pulled Over
If you’re driving while fatigued, you can face legal consequences. If you admit to law enforcement that you are tired when you get pulled over and then you continue driving, you may be pulled over again and given a ticket. While only a few states have laws regarding fatigued driving (or drowsy driving) specifically, you don’t want to get pulled over while tired. In many ways, it can be considered as dangerous as impaired driving, which is not good and can lead to dangerous results.
You may also face losing your job or getting written up after getting pulled over since you have to report any police reports or tickets to your employer. If you get a ticket for not reporting required breaks or for driving more than your legal amount of driving hours at a time, you may put your job at risk here as well.
What Are Safety Measures You Can Take?
There are several safety measures you can take to protect yourself (and any liabilities that apply to you on the road) and others as a truck driver. Here are some suggestions to consider.
Take Your Required Breaks
You have to take specified required breaks after a set number of hours. Use these breaks to walk around, take a nap, stretch, and do other things that help revitalize your brain and body so you can remain safe on the road. Since these breaks are not entirely frequent, they should be able to be easily made into a routine.
Change Your Focus
Distracted driving while behind the wheel can lead to feeling fatigued, especially after you have been on the same road and having the same views for hours at a time. Try changing your focus while you’re driving by rolling down windows for distraction, changing the music you’re listening to on the radio (or turning the radio off), and changing positions as you sit to keep fatigued at bay. When you start to feel drowsy and like you’re going to fall asleep, pull over and have your second driver take over, or pull over and take a brisk walk around your truck to revitalize you.
Get Regular Rest
The best way to prevent trucking fatigue is to be well-rested before going to work. This means regulating a sleep schedule and taking a sleeping aide as needed to get the rest you need. If you feel the need to visit your general doctor about your sleeping needs so you can work efficiently and safely, make that appointment right away.
Wrapping Up
Truck driver fatigue does happen and can lead to catastrophic results if wrecks occur due to fatigued driving. You can face both legal and other repercussions if you drive fatigued. It’s a common concern among long-haul drivers, so if you have this concern, know you’re not alone. Take your required breaks and know the laws around driver fatigue and you can become much safer behind the wheel.
