Encountering trucks when out on the road in Florida is often unavoidable. With that, it is also understood that there will occasionally be a truck accident. A collision involving a truck can be more dangerous and deadly given the size of the vehicles, the speeds at which they travel and the distances they have to cover. It is with these factors in mind that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has federal trucking regulations for drivers of these trucks to be considered qualified.
A person who has not met the qualifications according to the FMCSA cannot legally drive a commercial vehicle. A person who is not qualified cannot be employed by a motor carrier in operating one of these vehicles. The driver is required to be at least 21-years-old. The person must be able to speak and read the English language well enough to be able to speak to and understand the general public, read and understand traffic signs and signals, respond to official inquiries and to enter information on records and reports.
It is also required that a driver be able to safely operate a commercial motor vehicle through training, experience or both. The driver has to be physically able to drive the vehicle according to the physical requirements that the FMCSA mandates. There must be a valid commercial driver’s license that has been issued by one particular jurisdiction or state. The driver must have provided the employer with a list of violations or the certificate that the FMCSA requires. The driver cannot have been disqualified to drive under FMCSA regulations. Finally, the driver must have completed the road test, provide an operator’s license or pass a road test that equals the required road test.
It is very important that these regulations be understood when there is a truck accident and there are injuries or fatalities. An unqualified truck driver can cause a significant amount of damage. If there is a trucking accident, it is possible that it was due to an unqualified truck driver and this is important for accident victims and their families to consider seeking compensation through the legal system. A legal professional can help to investigate the accident and the driver’s qualifications.
Source: fmcsa.dot.gov, “391.11: General qualifications of drivers,” accessed on Jan. 10, 2016
