The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has put out a new, revised set of requirements for commercial truck drivers, reports Employer Brief.
The commercial drivers' hours of services reduce by 12 hours the maximum a truck driver can work in a week. That means that instead of 82 hours maximum within a seven-day span, the new rule limits drivers to 70 hours.
Also, truck drivers can't drive after working eight hours unless they take a 30 minute break. They may take this break whenever they feel like it.
As for how much do truck drivers drive in a day? Well, a truck driver can't go more than 11 hours in a day. That's the law.
There are further truck driver requirements. For example, if a driver takes 34 consecutive hours off from driving, he or she can restart the clock on their work week.
Obviously, companies that violate the truck driver rules could be penalized by the relevant authorities. As for drivers that are being asked by their companies to violate these rules, they may have to take matters into their own hands legally speaking, turning into a whistleblower.
A "whistleblower" is an employee who reports a violation of the law by his or her employer. The violation may be against the reporting employee, as with sexual harassment claims, or may be a general violation such as unlawful pollution practices against environmental law (or violating truck driver rules).
The federal government and many states have laws protecting whistleblowers from retaliation for filing a claim or reporting a violation. In addition, most states recognize a common-law claim against an employer who takes action against an employee after he or she has reported a violation of law.
If you are an employee who has reported a violation of law by your employer, and believe that you have suffered retaliation because of that reporting, you should speak with an experienced employment law attorney to discuss your options and protect your legal rights as a whistleblower.
Related Resources:
- Find a Houston Employment Law attorney (FindLaw)
- OSHA Whistleblower Protection (FindLaw)
- More Information on Whistleblower Laws (FindLaw)
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