Since driver fatigue is a leading cause of truck accidents and injuries, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration developed specific rules for hours of service for commercial motor vehicle drivers. Knowing these limits and ensuring that you and your company adhere to them will keep you safe on the road. Staying alert and safe will allow you to continue earning a living as a commercial truck driver.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration established the Hours-of-Service regulations to put limits on when and how long commercial motor vehicle drivers may be on the road. These regulations must be adhered to by all drivers to help insure commercial truck drivers get the rest they need to operate their motor vehicles safely. The rules apply to ANY commercial motor vehicle with a gross weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 10,001 or more that is involved in interstate or intrastate commerce. The regulations also apply to any commercial motor vehicle transporting a quantity of hazardous materials that would require a placard.

For property-carrying commercial truck drivers, a summary of the rules is listed below. The Hours-of-Service rules state that a driver of a commercial motor vehicle:

•    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 following 10 consecutive hours off duty. Off duty time does not extend the 14 hours period.
•    May not drive after 60 hours on duty in any 7 consecutive day time frame, if the motor carrier company(ies) contracted with operates less than seven days a week.
•    May not drive after 70 hours on duty during any 8 consecutive day time frame, if the motor carrier company(ies) contracted with operates sevens days per week.
•    May restart a seven or eight consecutive day period after taking 34 or more consecutive hours off duty.
•    When using a sleeper berth provision, must take at least 8 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth, plus a separate two consecutive hours either in the sleeper berth, off duty, or any combination of the two.

For more information about these regulations, visit www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations. And, for up to date information about commercial trucking insurance, contact a Reliance Partners agent.

It’s a simple fact of accounting that profits are generated after expenses are deducted from revenue. To improve your cash flow, it would be great to generate more revenue. However, in this economy, owner operators and contracted truckers may be faced with less opportunity for revenue. So, the wise strategy is to reduce your expenses. One expense to consider is insurance premiums. But you want to be certain that cutting your premiums doesn’t end up hurting your business. To arrive at the right balance, take a look at the following: changes in your business operations, your equipment and its depreciation, your deductible, ways to consolidate providers or ways to find discounts with providers.

Business Operations – One way to lower your premiums is, when the way you operate your business changes, contact your insurance agent and give him or her the details. Coverage costs can change if for example, the type of freight you haul or the type of trailer you use changes. You may be able to save money with a different type of coverage.

Equipment & Depreciation – Your truck may be the single most expensive item you have, but even its value depreciates over time. If it has been a year or more since the value of your truck was assessed, speak to your insurance agent. You may have the opportunity to reduce your physical damage premium. Be careful as well because over-estimating the value of your truck may actually work against you. If you are in an accident where your vehicle is totaled, insurance providers typically pay the lower of the actual cash value versus the stated value.

Deductible - Talk with an insurance agent about raising your deductible, but do so only if you can pay that deductible in the event of a claim. If you are an independent owner/operator, you might also consider combining damage and cargo deductibles or including related costs such as legal fees or lost wages due to downtime. When you talk to an insurance agent about covering these business expenses, be sure you will still have the coverage you need even if you shoulder more of the out-of-pocket costs.

Consolidate and Discount – If you are currently using multiple trucking insurance companies for different trucking related policies, consider combining policies with one insurer. You might be able to save money with a single truck insurance company that offers discounts for multiple types of coverage. You could also simply ASK your trucking insurance provider what discounts they offer. For example, do they provide for safe driver discounts? Do they have age-related discounts available? Might they offer a flexible payment plan to cover your insurance premium instead of paying the entire amount at once or up front? You would be surprised how many trucking insurance providers are willing to work with you to get your business. It is a win-win situation for you and the insurance company!

It can be tough to generate income in this economy, but by using these simple tips, you may be able to lower your expenses. Less money coming out of your pocket means more money for you. A reputable commercial trucking insurance company will work with you to provide the coverage you need at the price you can afford.

As a commercial truck driver, you want to stay safe on the road. So, you inspect your truck to make sure that all the safety systems are in place and working properly. But, when you get in your rig to start your haul, do you remember to also buckle up? It appears that more and more of you are. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has published a report showing increased seat belt usage among commercial truck drivers in this country. The report indicated a 7% increase in seat belt usage for these drivers in 2008. With more commercial drivers buckling up, there will also be improved safety and decreased risk of injury from accidents. These two factors are important to both commercial truck drivers and the commercial truck insurance providers.

According to the 2008 “Seat Belt Usage Study,” seat belt usage by passengers in commercial vehicles rose to 61% Drivers of major fleets were more likely to wear a seat belt than owner/operators were. Major fleet drivers used seat belts 75% of the time versus 62% for owner/operators. An interesting trend was also found regionally. The study reported that drivers in the West were more likely to be wearing a seat belt than drivers in the Northeast – 20% more likely for the West coast drivers. Probably not very surprising was the finding in the study that seat belt usage was higher in urban areas more than rural areas and that usage was higher during the weekends than on weekdays. Seat belt usage was also commonly found more often in areas that had faster traffic.

The American Trucking Association has been reportedly please with the outcome of the Seat Belt Usage Study. The ATA has supported improved seat belt enforcement. As part of its 18-point road safety agenda, the ATA recommends that the following measures be enacted:

•    All states establish primary seat belt laws
•    All commercial vehicles be equipped with audible reminders for seat belt use
•    Vehicle makers be required to install seat belts with high contrast colors to make seat belt usage more quickly visible to law enforcement officials on the road
•    States adopt a “failure to wear seat belt” defense
•    Worker’s Compensation benefits be denied to drivers who fail to use seat belts

The American Trucking Association also strongly believes that drivers must continually be educated about the importance of seat belt usage. It would appear by the results of the 2008 Seat Belt Usage Study that more commercial truck drivers are starting to get the message.