Personal Injury and Wage Lawyers in Ventura County, CA for Truck Drivers 

Ventura County is a vital segment of the goods movement corridors on the West Coast. It is home to the Port of Hueneme, a leading port for vehicles, general cargo, and perishables including fresh produce, fish, and other sea and agricultural products.

As one of California’s “economic engines” that generates over a billion in economic activity and through which $8 billion worth of goods pass through each year, Port Hueneme is a top hub for trucking companies and independent operators in and out of California.

With Ventura being a prime destination for trucks delivering goods — to Port Hueneme, to a destination within the city, or simply passing through — it’s unsurprising that many small to medium and interstate fleet trucking companies are also thriving in the county.

We believe that local employers and independent contractors know their responsibilities to their truck drivers. However, even the most well-meaning companies sometimes make mistakes in the same way that trucks with the latest safety features can still be involved in highway accidents.

Truck Driver Rights is on the wings to provide reliable legal services to truckers in Ventura. Our truck driver attorneys are the best people to help if you or someone you know is struggling with mismanagement issues, wage issues, and personal injury claims.

Offering Legal Guidance to Truckers

Truck Driver Rights has over 20 years of experience in representing truckers who have held their employers and even government offices accountable when they fell short of their responsibilities to compensate and ensure the safety of truck drivers. We also witnessed all kinds of conflicts between truckers and their employers; and for some, Truck Driver Insights became instrumental in solving them.

Helping Truckers Find Solutions to Their Daily Struggles

Trucking is one of the most dangerous jobs there is today. Drivers are on the road for hours, even days or weeks regardless of the weather, political climate, economic trends, and so forth.

When everyone hunkered down in their homes and stayed indoors to hide from the threat of COVID-19, truckers continued to travel on interstate highways to ensure that cities had enough of the much-needed goods like food, water, clothing, medicine, and other essentials.

Below are more examples of the challenges that truck drivers face:

• Long hours of non-stop driving (up to 14 hours on duty)
• Reckless and speeding drivers
• Inclement weather
• Pollution
• Stress
• Fatigue / sleepiness
• Engine trouble
• Lack of skills training
• Poorly maintained trucks
• Tight schedules and fixed timetables
• Low salaries
• Limited funds
• Injuries acquired on the job

Some problems like the weather and hostile politics are beyond anyone’s control, but others are the direct result of an employer’s actions. The lack of training for, say, defensive driving is one example of how employers fail their drivers.

If you’re facing some of these problems and have reason to believe that your employer has been negligent in solving them, our attorneys at Truck Driver Insights can help. As your wage and HR attorney in Chicago, we can help you file complaints and force trucking companies to provide the compensation you deserve.

Regulations for Truckers and Employers

To be clear, there’s no federal law that makes training mandatory for truck drivers to get a commercial driver’s license (CDL). However, trucking companies can offer company-sponsored training and certifications to ensure that all of their drivers’ skills are at a certain standard.

There are, however, conditions that employers must meet for their truckers. For example, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association (FMCSA) says that the longest, single-day shift truck drivers can have is 14 hours. Employers who insist on making their drivers work longer than 14 hours can be held accountable for their unjust demands.

Here’s the rest of the FMCSA-approved regulations on the hours of service (HOS).

• Drivers can be at work for a maximum of 14 hours. (This is known as the 14-hour Driving Window)
• During their 14-hour shifts, drivers must only drive for 11 hours maximum.
• Drivers must have at least 10 consecutive hours of rest before going back on duty. (This is known as the 11-hour driving limit).
• Drivers can work for 14 hours a day for five consecutive days only. (This is known as the 70-hour/8-day work week).
• Drivers may have a second job. They can continue working on other things after pulling an 11-hour shift, but they can no longer drive via a commercial vehicle and use public roads.
• Drivers may only drive for 8 consecutive hours, maximum.
• If they must continue driving longer than 8 hours (i.e., they haven’t arrived at their destination yet) drivers must take a break of at least 30 minutes before they can drive again.
• Divers can only work a maximum of 60 hours in a 7-day work week
• Divers can only work a maximum of 80 hours in an 8-day work week.

Learn Your Rights as a Truck Driver

The rules mentioned above exist to protect the well-being of truck drivers. They are rendered useless if truckers aren’t aware of these conditions and if employers refuse to follow them.

Truckers must know that they are entitled to the following:

• 30-minute breaks after driving for eight consecutive hours.
• Be off-duty for at least 10 consecutive hours before starting another 11-hour shift.
• Drive for only 11 hours when working on a 14-hour shift.
• Count the hours spent waiting to fill the car up with cargo as billable hours.

If your employer fails to grant these benefits, you can file a complaint against the company. Our trucking attorneys in Ventura can help you seek compensation whenever necessary. Even better, we negotiate on your behalf so that your employer will be forced to finally provide these benefits.

There’s more that we can share with you when you call Truck Driver Insights. With over two decades of experience in representing truckers in mediations and litigations for personal injury claims, wages, etc, you can rest assured that your complaint will be handled with swiftness and your interests in mind.

Talk to our lawyers at Truck Driver Rights today. Call 877-700-0009 and schedule a free consultation.