The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (Title 49, Parts 350-399) govern all vehicles engaged in interstate traffic. To view the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, click here.

Federal law requires drivers and their employers to keep logbooks, fuel receipts and other trip documentation for six months and vehicle maintenance records for a year. When an accident occurs, they are required to preserve all relevant documents.

Interstate truckers are required to record, either in a written or digital "logbook," the amount of time spent resting or driving. An interstate trucker is limited to 11 hours of driving over a 14-hour period and is required to rest for 10 straight hours before returning to the road. The foregoing driving limitation is subject to a number of different factors and exceptions, including adverse driving conditions, time spent in a sleeper berth, and type of cargo the truck is carrying. To view the Federal Regulations governing the hours of service of truck drivers, click here.  Federal law requires that an employer verify a driver’s previous three years of experience. With an estimated 40,000 trucking companies going out of business each year, many trucking companies say it is difficult for them to verify a driver’s previous experience if a prior employer is no longer in business. Many trucking companies admit that they place drivers on the road without receiving a response from a prior employer.