Truck Driver Log Books

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations require that every truck driver in Michigan prepare a record of duty status, otherwise called a log book. The log book must be in the semi-truck driverâ's own handwriting and detail his or her activities and duty status within each 24-hour period (unless operating under the 100-air mile radius exemption). All entries must be accurate and legible.

Employers must maintain supporting documents to verify the log books are true and accurate. Some truck drivers are paid by log book documentation and many fleets are maintained by them.

The log book recounts the history of the travel, equipment, people and problems from each trip. Breakdowns, delays, foul weather and disasters are fully reflected in these documents. Itâ's important to have an accident lawyer who understands a log book and knows how to discover additional information that can prove what was happening before a truck accident occurs.

Q: What are the penalties for violating the hours-of-service rules?
A: Truck drivers or carriers who violate the hours-of-service rules face serious penalties including:

• Truck drivers may be placed out-of-service (shut down) at roadside until the driver has accumulated enough off-duty time to be back in compliance.
• State and Michigan enforcement officials may assess fines.
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration may levy civil penalties on the driver or carrier, ranging from $550 to $11,000 per violation depending on severity.
• Motor carrierâ's safety rating can be down-graded for a pattern of violations.
• Federal criminal penalties can be brought against truck driver employers who knowingly and willfully allow or require hours-of-service violations.

Source: Michigan Center for Truck Safety

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The truck accident lawyers of Michigan Auto Law have helped enforce important hours of service regulations to make our roads safer. No other law firm in Michigan has received more jury verdicts or consistently higher settlements for truck accident cases. In fact, the vast majority of our wrongful death and personal injury cases from truck accidents are referred to us by local attorneys, based upon our record of experience and success.