Oregon Department of Transportation inspectors joined Washington officials to perform safety checks on truckers along I-5 to see whether they were taking breaks as required by federal law.
26% of the truck drivers pulled over along Interstate 5 in Oregon – Ashland, Woodburn, and Roseburg – failed the safety inspection. In Washington, about 13% of drivers failed to adhere to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act rules regarding hours of service, according to the Statesman Journal.
While the truck logbook audit was not random – ODOT inspectors choose to look at the logbooks of drivers who appeared to be tired or not alert, over 250 drivers were required to pull off of the road and rest.
Truck driver fatigue is a major factor in commercial vehicle crashes, causing nearly 100,000 truck accidents each year, with 40,000 injuries and over 1500 deaths, as stated by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
A truck driver can log a total of 11 driving hours during a 14-hour period. FMCSA has been cracking down on trucking companies that are blatantly disregarding the federal safety laws regarding hours of service for truck drivers.
To report a sleepy or otherwise unsafe or impaired truck driver in Oregon, call the Oregon truck safety hotline at 1-800-248-6782, or fill out a form on the Oregon Department of Transportation’s website.
