The interstate trucking industry is regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a branch of the United States Department of Transportation. Many trucking regulations are designed to protect the motoring public. FMCSA publishes its trucking regulations in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). These regulations are available on the web, including the following:

49 CFR 40: Drug and Alcohol Regulations. Describes in great detail the procedures which must be followed for mandatory driver alcohol and drug testing.

49 CFR 382: Controlled Substances and Alcohol Use and Testing.

49 CFR 383: Commercial Driver’s License Standards

49 CFR 387: Minimum Levels of Financial Responsibility for Motor Carriers. (Specifies the minimum levels of insurance motor carriers must have to cover damages caused by accidents.)

49 CFR 391: Qualifications of Drivers

49 CFR 392: Driving of Motor Vehicles

49 CFR 393: Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation

49 CFR 395: Hours of Service of Drivers. (Requires drivers to rest.)

49 CFR 396: Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance. (Requires trucking companies to maintain vehicles in a safe operating condition.)

49 CFR 397: Transportation of Hazardous Materials; Driving and Parking Rules

49 CFR 571: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Describes requirements for trucking equipment.

Failure of a truck driver or the trucking company to comply with these regulations may be an important consideration in establishing fault for a trucking crash. We will explore the details of many of these trucking regulations is future editions.

If you have questions about federal trucking regulations or a truck accident claim, please contact us through our website at www.ClarkPerdue.com.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 11th, 2008 at 1:23 pm and is filed under Truck Safety Regulations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.