Driver Fatigue in St. Louis, MO

Commercial truck drivers often spend long hours on the road transporting goods and materials to their destinations. As a result, driver fatigue is a real concern if a driver does not get enough rest before getting behind the wheel. Unfortunately, this leads to devastating truck accidents.

Fatigued driving can be just as dangerous as operating a vehicle while intoxicated. When an 18-wheeler or another large commercial vehicle is involved in a crash, the damage and injuries can be catastrophic.

If a fatigued truck driver injured you or a loved one, the St. Louis truck accident lawyers at Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC will be ready to stand up and fight for you. Since 1999, we’ve pursued fair compensation for truck accident victims. Let us put our skill and experience to work for you, like we have for so many others throughout Missouri.

Contact us today for a free consultation. Our award-winning team stands ready to answer your questions, explain your rights, and help you seek the compensation you need and deserve. Call our offices at (888) 673-7275 or reach out to us online for your case evaluation.

Fatigued Driving is Deadly

There were 633 deaths in the U.S. from fatigue-related accidents in 2020. Semi and other Commercial Motor Vehicle drivers spend their working hours traveling the roadways of our nation. They spend hours and days making sure that groceries, supplies, parts, and products are delivered throughout the nation. Instead of sitting at a desk, they sit behind a steering wheel of a vehicle that can weigh forty (40) tons.

Driving a semi is an exhausting job. To drive safely, the semi-driver must be alert at all times. I recently drove a semi at a trucking facility. I also rode with a professional truck driver on the highway. I can say even from my limited experience, that operating a semi requires a high level of attention 100 percent of the time. That can be exhausting.

Although the federal government regulates the number of hours that a semi-driver can drive, it doesn’t regulate what the driver does during their off time. You have some truck drivers who drive night shift during the week but switch over to staying awake during the day and sleeping at night on the weekends. This is hard on the body and can cause fatigue.

Transport at What Cost?

In Missouri alone, 119 people were killed in commercial motor vehicle accidents in 2020. Of these commercial motor vehicle accidents, 13 percent were found to involve a fatigued truck driver. This means that at least fifteen people lost their lives in Missouri in a one-year period, due to a fatigued truck driver, and among these, the truck drivers may have also lost their own lives. The issue with this statistic is that some of the fatalities are not able to be conclusively linked to fatigue. In some cases, both parties are either deceased or so severely injured that the cause is undetermined. Crash investigators can try to find contribution based off of clues and other resources, but are still inconclusive; therefore, 15 is most likely lower than the actual number. Regardless, 15 lives are 15 too many.

You have semi-drivers who are busy during their days or hours off and aren’t able to get the required number of hours of sleep to be refreshed before being behind the wheel again. Some drivers have health issues, such as sleep apnea, that is untreated and interferes with the quality of sleep the driver gets. For more information on health issues watch the video podcast After The Crash, Episode 15 on YouTube.

Because of the situations outlined above and for other reasons, there are many professional truck drivers operating semi-tractor-trailers on the roadway while fatigued. To make matters worse some trucking companies put profits ahead of safety. These companies push their drivers to drive without considering their level of vigilance. These companies do not have adequate training programs on the dangers of fatigued driving.

Top three circumstances that are most commonly related with fatigued driving crashes.

1. Fatigue-caused crashes occur between midnight and 6:00 a.m.
2. Often involve one person falling asleep or dozing off at the wheel driving at high rates of speed.
3. Occur most frequently on highways and rural roads.

What Can We Do in Craig, Kelley, and Faultless LLC for a Fatigued Driving Accident?

At Craig, Kelley & Faultless we have handled wrongful death and catastrophic injuries caused by car accidents with semis caused by a fatigued semi driver. We have seen semi-drivers falling asleep in construction zone and rearending lines of cars stopped or slowing for construction. Suing the fatigued semi-driver or the trucking company not properly training or monitoring the health and fitness of its drivers requires experience, skills, and the resources to hire the right experts. These cases are time sensitive, and it is important that the right lawyer is hired as soon as possible after the wreck. Otherwise, evidence may be lost.

Craig Kelley & Faultless recognizes the dangers that this community faces when sharing the roadways with commercial motor vehicles. Partners David Craig and Scott Faultless sit on the Board of Regents for the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (that requires Board Certified in Truck Accident Law). Our office is dedicated to successfully battling dangerous trucking companies, reckless drivers, unsafe businesses, and unreasonable insurance companies for our clients and their loved ones.

Understanding Driver Fatigue

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), fatigue can significantly impair a driver’s performance. It could be caused by lack of sleep or long work shifts. Even natural factors such as waking and sleep cycles or monotonous tasks can lead to fatigue.

Driver fatigue can manifest through many different symptoms, including:

• Impaired reaction times – Fatigue often manifests as slow reaction times, which can be deadly in emergencies.
• Poor decision-making – Fatigue is a severe impairment that can affect even a professional driver’s judgment.
• Frequent yawning – Yawning is a sign that you need rest. If you are frequently yawning, it’s time to pull over.
• Nodding off – When some drivers are fatigued, they may briefly fall asleep. This is dangerous for everyone on the road. If you experience this, make sure you pull over as soon as possible.
• Memory issues – Fatigue can show itself as memory problems. When drivers can’t remember the last few miles of a drive, they may be seriously fatigued.

When you are driving and become fatigued, you should always stop driving and find a safe place to rest. Sleep is essential to safe driving, and you could be putting yourself and others at risk without it.

Truck Driver Sleep Cycle Requirements

Truck drivers should get enough sleep to perform their jobs safely. The Centers for Disease Control recommends everyone between the ages of 18 and 60 get 8 to 10 hours every day. This amount ensures that people are rested and ready to face the day.

While the FMCSA doesn’t have specific regulations about the amount of sleep drivers must get, they set strict rules on how much work a truck driver may perform.

Truck Driver Hours of Service Regulations

Fatigued driving is a significant concern in the commercial trucking industry. That’s why FMCSA has detailed hours of service regulations that limit how long drivers can work. These regulations differ depending on whether the driver is carrying goods or passengers. They cover situations such as the following:

• Driving time limits – Drivers carrying property and goods can drive a maximum of 11 hours after 10 hours off duty. Drivers carrying passengers can only drive 10 hours after 8 hours off.
• Work after coming on-duty – The FMCSA limits how long drivers have to complete their driving. Property-carrying drivers cannot drive after 14 on-duty hours. Passenger-carrying drivers may not continue driving past 15 hours on duty. It’s important to note that off-duty time doesn’t extend these periods.
• Breaks – Regulations require drivers to take a 30-minute break when driving for 8 hours.
• 60/70 Hour Limit – Drivers cannot drive more than 60 hours in a seven-day period or 70 hours in an eight-day period. To restart the period, they must take at least 34 hours off.
• Adverse conditions – Drivers may extend their driving time limits by two hours when they encounter adverse conditions, such as snow, fog, and other dangerous weather. This allows them to get to a safe location during deadly weather events.
• Short-haul exceptions – Many of the FMCSA rules are designed around long-haul drivers. When drivers operate within a 150-mile radius of their work location, they may operate their vehicles up to 11 hours within a 14-hour period. They must also end their day at the same place they began.

Who Is Liable in a Truck Accident?

After a truck accident, you might need to file a truck accident lawsuit to recover the compensation necessary to rebuild your life after the accident. Depending on the facts of your crash, you could potentially take legal action against several different entities, including:

• The trucking company – Trucking companies are responsible for the actions of their drivers and how they operate on the road. If a driver is fatigued and causes an accident, the company may be financially liable for your injuries.
• The driver – The driver is ultimately the one in charge of a truck at any given time. If a driver is fatigued on the road, it is their responsibility to stop the vehicle and rest or get the assistance they need. If they don’t, it could lead to a tragic and preventable accident.
• Cargo loaders – Cargo loading takes careful attention to detail, knowledge of industry standards, and an understanding of the law. If cargo loaders don’t load or secure the cargo correctly, it could result in an accident. This can pull a truck off balance, or loose cargo could fall off the truck and strike you.
• Truck designers and manufacturers – In some cases, the designer or manufacturer of a truck may be liable for an accident. Manufacturers should build trucks that work as advertised. When they have defective components, it could cause a catastrophic failure resulting in injuries.

Contact Our Trusted Truck Accident Attorneys in St. Louis, MO

If you’ve been injured in a truck accident caused by a fatigued driver, call Craig, Kelley, and Faultless LLC now. Our dedicated personal injury attorneys in St. Louis will be ready to stand up and fight for you. We have decades of combined experience holding negligent truck drivers and the companies that employ them accountable, and we’re ready to put our skills to work for you.

Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC is proud to serve our clients and community. That’s why we offer a free consultation to discuss your crash, your injuries, and how you could potentially get the compensation and justice that you deserve.

Call us now at (888) 673-7275 or reach out to us online for your free consultation. We’ll work on a contingency-fee-basis if you hire us, meaning we don’t get paid unless we recover money for you. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, so call us now to get started on your case.