What are the Essential Missouri Trucking Laws?

The trucking industry is one of the most highly regulated industries in the United States. Large trucks that may weigh up to 80,000 pounds fully loaded are vital to interstate commerce but pose a threat to life and limb when involved in accidents.

Federal regulations and Missouri trucking laws govern commercial motor vehicles and the commercial truck drivers that operate them. The trucking regulations are complex. When truck drivers, trucking companies, and their service vendors violate trucking regulations and cause truck accidents, they may be financially liable for the accident.

If you’ve been injured in a truck accident in Missouri, the St. Louis truck accident lawyers of Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC can help you hold all responsible parties financially accountable for your losses. For a free case evaluation, contact us online or call (800) 746-0226 today. Below are some trucking regulations relevant to you if you drive highways in Missouri.

Missouri Commercial Driver Qualifications

To drive commercial trucks within Missouri, a driver must be 18 years old. At age 21, a driver may qualify to drive across state lines.

Applicants for a Missouri Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) are required to hold a Commercial Learner Permit (CLP) for at least 14 days prior to completing skills testing for a full CDL. To earn a CLP, a driver must pass the state’s written exam as well as the test of road signs and the vision test. A CLP is good for 360 days and is non-renewable.

There are three different classifications of CDL in Missouri – Class A, B, and C. Depending on the class of CDL and endorsements needed, a driver must pass one or more written tests and a road test of a variety of skills, including vehicle inspection, basic vehicle control, and on-road driving.

Hours of Service – Driving and Rest Schedules

A trucker’s time behind the wheel is restricted to try to prevent dangerously fatigued drivers from operating commercial trucks. A property-carrying truck driver:

• May drive a maximum of 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty.
• May not drive beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty (which may include nondriving time), following 10 consecutive hours off duty.
• Must take a 30-minute break after driving for 8 cumulative hours without at least a 30-minute interruption.
• May not drive after 60/70 hours on duty in 7/8 consecutive days. A driver may restart a 7/8 consecutive day period after taking 34 or more consecutive hours off duty.
• May extend the 11-hour maximum driving limit and 14-hour driving window by up to 2 hours when adverse driving conditions are encountered.

Driver Logs

Every driver shall prepare a daily log in his/her own handwriting for each 24-hour period unless operating under the 150 air-mile radius exemption. Failure to complete or retain the log or knowingly falsifying logs makes the driver and/or carrier liable to prosecution.

Maintenance Logs

Every motor carrier must systematically inspect, repair, and maintain all commercial motor vehicles under its control. Every carrier must require its drivers to prepare a written post-trip inspection report at the end of any day in which the driver discovers a vehicle defect or a defect is brought to their attention, for example, during a roadside inspection. Motor carriers must maintain the following information for every vehicle that they have controlled for 30 days or more:

• Identifying information: company number, make, serial number, year, and tire size
• A schedule of inspections to be performed, including type and due date
• Inspection, repair, and maintenance records.

These records must be retained for one year at the location where the vehicle is garaged and maintained for six months after the vehicle leaves the carrier’s control via sale, trade-in, or scrap.

Bad Weather Safety

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recommends truckers adjust speed to safely match weather conditions, road conditions, visibility, and traffic. Specifically, FMCSA says drivers should reduce speed by 1/3 on wet roads and by 1/2 or more on snow-packed roads.

Contact Our St. Louis Truck Accident Lawyers

This just scratches the surface of the requirements that truck drivers and their employers must comply with when operating commercial trucks on Missouri highways. If a trucker or a motor carrier is in violation of FMCSA rules or Missouri trucking laws and causes an accident, either or both may be financially liable to those injured.

The St. Louis, MO, semi-truck accident attorneys at Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC are ready to investigate your accident and press the negligent for compensation to you. Contact us online or call us at (800) 746-0226 today.