The Rights and Responsibilities of Truck Drivers

When you hire a trucking accident lawyer, you will better understand your rights and responsibilities as a truck driver. A professional truck driver earns a living by driving his truck for long distances, usually crossing interstate borders. Your job is to haul different types of cargoes from one place to another. As a truck driver, you are expected to spend most of your time on the road. Your duties do not stop at just being behind the wheel. In most cases, you will also have a role in loading and unloading your cargoes. Particularly true if the payload is made up of special or delicate materials for which you may be the only one who has the required certifications to handle loading and unloading procedures.

Your trucking accident lawyer will also tell you that you have the added responsibility of ensuring your safety and that of other people and motorists on the road. Make sure that your driving does not lead to injury in other people. With the same thing in mind, authorities have put in place various trucking regulations to help truck drivers attain road safety. From prescribed routes to the very manner that drivers handle their trucks, there are regulations to follow and it is all part of the driver's responsibility. One very important rule to keep in mind, for instance, instructs drivers to maintain logbooks that will record all pertinent events that transpired from loading to unloading of cargoes.

It must be emphasized that many of the responsibilities of a truck driver are ultimately for his own good. Any trucking accident lawyer will explain to you that regulations requiring truck drivers to take enough breaks from behind the wheel helps drivers avoid fatigue and regain mental alertness at any point in the hauling trip. And in relation to keeping the safety and self-interest of the drivers, they also have rights that enable them to perform their duties more efficiently and without fear of being harassed by their employers and other parties. For instance, truck drivers have the right to be fully compensated for their work plus overtime. Above all, they have the right to be free from situations or persons that jeopardize their personal safety.

Indeed, the rights and responsibilities of truck drivers depend a lot on the particular industry of the employer or owner of the cargo. A good trucking accident lawyer will ensure that the rights of truck drivers are enforced without necessarily sparing them from their responsibilities.