Federal law requires drivers and their employers to keep logbooks, fuel receipts and other trip documentation for six months and vehicle maintenance records for a year. When an accident occurs, they are required to preserve all relevant documents.

 

Interstate truckers are required to record, either in a written or digital "logbook," the amount of time spent resting or driving. An interstate trucker is limited to 11 hours of driving over a 14-hour period and is required to rest for 10 straight hours before returning to the road. The foregoing driving limitation is subject to a number of different factors and exceptions, including adverse driving conditions, time spent in a sleeper berth, and type of cargo the truck is carrying. To view the Federal Regulations governing the hours of service of truck drivers, click on the following link: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/fmcsr/fmcsrguidedetails.asp?rule_toc=764§ion_toc=764

 

Federal law requires that an employer verify a driver’s previous three years of experience. With an estimated 40,000 trucking companies going out of business each year, many trucking companies say it is difficult for them to verify a driver’s previous experience if a prior employer is no longer in business. Many trucking companies admit that they place drivers on the road without receiving a response from a prior employer.