Regulations and Legal Considerations Involved in Truck Transportation

Truck transportation continues to be the best and most convenient way to transport goods. Unlike maritime or railway transportation, trucks can easily load and unload cargo without any complications.

Whether it’s food or clothing, our daily lives depend on truck transportation services. Nevertheless, this industry is constantly changing. Its growth is directly linked to the state of the national economy.

Safety

Trucking companies are required to adhere to a rigorous set of industry standards in order to ensure the safety of their drivers and cargo. In addition, the trucking companies must have a robust insurance policy to cover the cost of any accidents or injuries that occur while they are transporting their goods.

It takes a unique set of skills to operate a commercial motor vehicle, which is why truck drivers must go through extensive testing before they get their licenses. The test doesn’t end there though, as they must follow a comprehensive set of rules to keep themselves and other road users safe on the highways.

One of the most important regulations is hours of service, which limits how many consecutive hours a driver can spend on the road. This regulation is designed to prevent trucking accidents caused by fatigue. A knowledgeable attorney will be able to explain the details of these laws and how they apply to your business.

Hours of service

The hours of service for truck transportation companies are regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). These rules limit how many hours a driver can drive in a single duty cycle and ensure that drivers get enough time to rest. They also require drivers to keep log books and supporting documents, including expense receipts for fuel or personal items, dispatch records, and bills of lading.

The FMCSA also offers flexibility in the rules for certain adverse driving conditions. It is important to understand these regulations before starting a career in truck transportation. Failing to comply could result in fines or even job loss.

Depending on whether you’re transporting goods in interstate or intrastate commerce, the HOS rules differ slightly. For example, the DOT allows drivers who are involved in interstate commerce to extend the 11-hour driving limit by up to two hours for qualifying adverse driving conditions. However, this doesn’t apply to drivers who are engaged in intrastate commerce.

Road restrictions

As a trucking business owner, you will need to familiarize yourself with all the laws that apply to your area of operation. This includes acquiring all the appropriate licenses. Talking to SCORE mentors, scouring your state department of transportation website and talking with city/town officials will help you figure out what you need.

In some areas, like Bushwick in Brooklyn, truck routes are designated on streets and avenues. But when these trucks enter local neighborhoods, they can cause problems such as noise, pollution and wear and tear on roads that aren’t designed for them.

To avoid these issues, cities/towns often restrict the weight of commercial vehicles on certain roadways. They do this in order to protect the road’s appearance and ensure that its infrastructure can handle the weight of the trucks. These restrictions can also prevent damage to the roadway. This is especially true in rural areas, villages and residential estates. These limitations may even prevent pot holes and cracks from appearing in the road.

Food transportation

Many people become ill each year from foodborne illnesses, and about 3,000 die as a result. These outbreaks often begin with contaminated food that has been transported in improper conditions. As a result, Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) to combat these issues.

This law requires shippers, loaders, carriers by motor and rail vehicle, and receivers of human and animal food to follow sanitary transportation practices. It also sets requirements for the cleaning, inspection, maintenance, loading and unloading of vehicles and transportation equipment.

One comment argues that the definition of “shipper” in this rule is too broad and should be narrowed to include only those entities that arrange for รถรับจ้างขนของ or have the responsibility for loading foods onto trucks. However, this is not feasible since entity may not be able to control the entire transportation process and thus would not have full liability for its sanitary transportation operations. Moreover, this definition is inconsistent with the FDA’s definition of “shipper” in another rule.