Various forms of evidence can play a role in a lawsuit or settlement demand over a traffic crash involving a commercial truck, both by establishing fault for the crash happening in the first place and by establishing how much compensation the injured plaintiff needs to cover their damages. However, one piece of evidence will be central to just about every claim of this nature, primarily because it is created and maintained by the people most likely to be the defendants in truck wreck cases.
The role of logbooks in Prairieville truck accident cases is mainly to serve the former purpose mentioned above: proving that a specific person was negligent in the buildup to a crash occurring. If you want to make the most of this type of evidence, the experienced truck accident lawyers at Tomeny | Best can provide guidance and support.
What Does Federal Law Say About Truck Logbooks?
Among many other things, the regulations on interstate truck traffic set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) set maximum time limits on how long individual truckers can drive in a single work shift, how long those work shifts can be in total, and how long breaks between and during those shifts must be. The major rules to know about in this regard are as follows:
- No more than 14 total hours on duty after at least 10 hours spent off-duty
- No more than 11 hours of driving within that maximum 14-hour shift
- At least one 30-minute break per eight consecutive hours of driving
- No more than 60 total hours on duty within any seven-day period
- No more than 70 total hours on duty within any eight-day period
To establish that they are complying with these rules, truck drivers are expected to keep written logbooks detailing when they go on and off shift, when they are behind the wheel, and when they take breaks.
How Logbook Evidence Can Factor Into a Lawsuit
The main role that logbooks play in Prairieville accident cases is in establishing whether a truck driver was following the time limits set for them by FMCSA regulations. If the information written in a trucker’s logbook shows that they were on the road longer than they should have been, that can be used as evidence that the truck driver was dangerously fatigued behind the wheel, which in turn could make them or their employer legally liable for a wreck that happened while they were so fatigued.
In some situations, logbook information can also be used to establish that a truck driver was being negligent in other ways. For example, by calculating how long a truck driver was on the road between a starting and stopping point on shift, it may be possible to establish that they must have been going over the posted speed limit on the roads they traveled on, since they may not have been able to travel between those two points as quickly as their logbook says they did.
Learn More About the Role of Logbooks in Truck Accident Cases From a Prairieville Attorney
Unfortunately, truck drivers and trucking companies are not always truthful with the details included in logbooks, since they may want to hide the fact that they are breaking federal laws by staying on the road too long. With that in mind, the role of logbooks in Prairieville truck accident cases is sometimes showing not that a driver was specifically tired or committing a traffic violation, but instead that they and their employer are knowingly breaking FMCSA regulations by not keeping accurate logbooks.
Either way, representation from a skilled truck accident lawyer can be essential to making effective use of this and all other forms of evidence during this sort of civil claim. Call Tomeny | Best today to discuss your possible case.
