In light of the fact that new electronic logging regulations are just becoming effective for truck drivers across the country, it might come as no surprise that federal regulators are cracking down even more on a broad range of factors that might cause a truck driver to get hurt in a serious accident.

Many studies have looked at the factors likely to increase a truck driver’s chances of causing a wreck, from inexperience to improper handling for the weather conditions all the way to inadequate maintenance of the truck. With such a high toll associated with trucking accidents, now federal agencies are looking at whether excessive commuting could reduce a driver’s judgment ability and focus.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is looking into what they consider excessive commuting by truck drivers. They have proposed a new survey that would look at truck drivers who spend more than 150 minutes behind the wheel to get to work. Spending longer than two hours is defined as excessive commuting for the purposes of the proposed study.

Since there are strict federal regulations about how long truckers can be on the road and the length of time they must take in between shifts to get appropriate rest, excessive commuting could be skewing the driver’s alertness and ability to avoid accidents behind the road. Excessive commuting times can impact driver health as well as compromise the off-duty time for that employee.

Extreme fatigue, while on duty, creates concerns not just for the driver but also for others on the roads. If you have already been involved in an accident with a truck driver that you believe may have been asleep at the wheel or under too much pressure from his or her employer to get a load to a location on time, you need to prepare a legal claim immediately.