How many miles driving per day is considered unsafe for professional drivers?

Question

Are there labor standards that regulate how many miles or hours a professional driver (not racing) can drive in one day? I would imagine that there is something out there given the number of long distance truckers we have on the highways who may become fatigued, lose focus, lose control of their rigs, etc. I can't find anything on the subject. Thanks for any input.

Answer 1

Commercial drivers are limited to 14 hours of work in a 24 hour period. Of those 14 hours, they are allowed to drive 11, and up to 2 additional hours in an emergency situation brought about by unforseen problems (snow blizzard to get to safety).
The max speed limit in US is about 75 miles an hour. Giving time for stopping, starting, traffic, etc, the average speed of a driver will be somewhere around 65-69 miles an hour. You can figure it out from there. Some states, CA, OR, WA, IL, IA, IN for example have lower limits for big trucks.
This information on the hours of work is found in the FMCSR by Department of Transportation. That's Federal Motor Carrier's Safety Regulaions. In addition, each state has their own rules.
CA has not, to my knowledge, adopted the Fed's rules yet.

Answer 2

professional truck drivers are allowed 11 hrs drive time ,this has to be completed within 14 hrs of starting your day,mileage varies depending on speed and traffic so it is limited by hours of service rules
as a note in canada it is 13 hrs of driving in a 15 hr day
these are both limited by the 60 hr in 7 day and the 70 hr in 8 day rules as well followed by a 34 hr break in the US and 48 hrs in canada

Answer 3

Yes, a truck or bus or commercial driver has to keep a log and can only work so many hours in a 24 hour stretch.

The US Department of Labor has a site

Answer 4

83% miles