On December 18, 2017, the electronic logging device (ELD) rule took effect, requiring commercial long-distance drivers to install electronic tracking devices in their vehicles. The ELD mandate applies to most Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) drivers, more than 3.5 million across the country.
While the ELDs make it easier to track hours and miles traveled and are supposed to make roads safer by keeping long-distance drivers from driving while fatigued, many drivers are angry about them. Truckers feel that the rules actually make their driving situation worse, lower their productivity, make it more difficult to find places to sleep and park, and even encourage speeding and reckless driving that may increase the chances of a crash.
Any crash involving largely trucks is likely to be devastating and result in serious injuries or death. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 3,986 people died in large truck crashes in 2016. Trucks often weigh 20-30 times as much as passenger cars and have greater ground clearance, which can result in smaller vehicles winding up underneath trucks.
If you or a loved one has suffered injury or someone has died in a truck crash, you may be entitled to compensation for medical and rehabilitative expenses, past and future lost wages, permanent disability and loss of life’s enjoyment. Multiple parties may be liable, including the truck driver and the company where the driver is employed.
However, due to the complexity and issues involving Pennsylvania personal injury law, your case must be handled correctly by an attorney experienced in truck crashes or you may never collect the compensation you are entitled to.
Clifford A. Rieders of Rieders, Travis, Dohrmann, Mowrey, Humphrey & Waters knows the courts and the system and what you need to do to win a good settlement. Our skilled and experienced Pennsylvania truck crash attorneys have represented any number individuals who have been injured or killed in vehicle accidents in Pennsylvania.
We offer a free consultation to discuss the facts of your individual situation, so contact us at our office or online today.
What Are the Problems Truckers Have With ELDS?
Before the ELD mandate, truckers would keep track of their driving in a log-book, with paper and pen. They had the flexibility to get the job done by rounding up their hours in 15-minute increments.
ELDs now track hours electronically, keeping an exact record of where and when miles are driven, so drivers must account for all their time and ensure they do not drive for more than 11 hours a day or work more than 14 hours a day total, and they must take regular breaks. Truckers can no longer do little fudges which gave them flexibility to set their own schedules, drive when necessary and nap when convenient, such as when a receiving company unloads their vehicle.
Truckers are paid by the mile and are not paid for time spent unloading. Previously, they might have been able to put in extra driving hours after unloading. With the new cap of 14 hours of work a day, truckers no longer can get in these extra hours. They are forced to take breaks of 30-minutes every eight hours, even if they had just rested during an unloading period. In addition, the new rules mean many truckers take their 10-hour breaks at the same time, making finding already scarce parking at truck stops much more difficult. So drivers are more likely to speed and drive more recklessly as they attempt to get to their destination before the clock runs out.
Drivers now travel fewer miles a day and make less money. Many veteran truckers are exiting the trucking profession, leaving less-skilled rookie drivers on the road. Truckers feel that any gains in safety from enforced rest are negated by their frustration and increased recklessness and that more crashes will likely be the result.
Contact an Attorney at Our Firm
If you or a loved one has been injured or someone has died in a truck crash, you should get immediate legal assistance to protect your rights at every stage of your liability claim.
The skilled and experienced Pennsylvania truck accident attorney Clifford A. Rieders of Rieders, Travis, Dohrmann, Mowrey, Humphrey & Waters has spent decades honing his skills and successfully representing Pennsylvania families who have suffered an injury or loss due to someone else’s negligence. Our attorneys offer personal attention and loyalty to every client, aggressively fighting for their right to compensation. Whether in settlement negotiations or pursuing a favorable trial verdict, we are thoroughly prepared and committed to achieving a just outcome. With our competent staff, we offer strength in numbers while providing top-notch personal service.
Cliff Rieders is a Past President of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, formerly Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association. Rieders has won numerous awards and recognition from the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, and he received the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority recognition award. Cliff Rieders was a founder of the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority and served on same for 15 years. Rieders was a Law Clerk in the federal court system for one of the most well-known and longest serving federal judges in the country, the Honorable Malcolm Muir. Cliff has received the George F. Douglas Amicus Curiae Award, as well as the Milton D. Rosenberg Award from the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers. Rieders is on committees and organizations that write the law in many fields of practice. He is a Nationally Board certified specialist for Civil Trial and Civil Practice and Procedure, a cum laude graduate of New York University as well as Georgetown University Law Center.
Rieders is admitted in Pennsylvania, New York State, District of Columbia and numerous federal courts including the Supreme Court of the United States. Rieders is a life member of the American Law Institute which publishes recommended legal principles utilized throughout the United States. Cliff Rieders is the lawyer that other lawyers call for counsel and advice in the medical and hospital malpractice and pharmaceutical/vitamin supplement fields. Cliff Rieders does substantial work in multi-district litigation in connection with pharmaceutical products and medical devices.
At Rieders Travis, we offer a free consultation to carefully examine the individual facts in your case and determine the best way to handle it. Don’t delay. Contact today by calling or our online contact form to set up your free consultation.
Based in Williamsport, we serve clients throughout the state of Pennsylvania, offering a free consultation on all personal injury matters. More than that, we offer you experience, knowledge, compassion, and a long history of results.
