If you are like most people in North Carolina, you have had the experience of being in your car or other passenger vehicle when a large tractor-trailer or other commercial vehicle comes up along next to you. In these moments, it is normal to feel a bit dwarfed and even experience a sense of vulnerability as you recognize the massive size and weight differential of those big rigs next to your standard vehicle.
The need to keep people safe when sharing the road with large trucks is important, and that is the focus of a rule put into effect by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The rule is called the electronic logging device rule and it requires all commercial semi-trucks to be outfitted with devices that automatically track and record key data about a trucker’s operation of their rig.
ELD’s capture information including engine idle time, drive time, location and more. The devices intend to drive greater compliance with another FMCSA rule that dictates the maximum number of working and driving hours for truckers each day and each week. The Hours of Service rule also mandates when breaks must be taken and how long each break must last before a trucker may resume work. For many truckers, electronic logging devices have replaced manual hardcopy means of tracking time and distance.
If you would like to learn more about the importance of seeking help after you or someone you love has been involved in an accident involving a commercial truck, please feel free to visit the semi-truck crash assistance and compensation page of our North Carolina motor vehicle accident and personal injury website.
