Arkansas Congressman Would Have Truck Drivers Work 16 Hours per Day

Rep. John Boozman (R-Ark.), whose district includes the headquarters of both Wal-Mart and J. B. Hunt Transport, is sponsoring an amendment that would extend the allowable workday of truck drivers from 14 to 16 hours – twice the number of hours that most Americans work – without any additional pay. Boozman said, “There are several trucking companies in the state of Arkansas. I’m just trying to represent them to the best of my ability.”
Driver fatigue and sleep deprivation are already major safety problems in the trucking industry. Requiring truckers to work 16 hours straight will further endanger motorists. The last thing we need is for tired truckers to become even more fatigued and threaten the safety of those around them on the roads. See Public Citizen release. Critics of the Boozman amendment note that under the proposal, drivers could be encouraged to falsely enter two hours of work time as break time.

Ken Shigley represents plaintiffs in wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases statewide in Georgia, and in other states subject to the multijurisdictional practice and pro hac vice rules in each state. Ken Shigley was designated as a “Super Lawyer” in Atlanta Magazine and one of the “Legal Elite” in Georgia Trend Magazine. He is President-Elect of the State Bar of Georgia (2011-12), a Certified Civil Trial Advocate of the National Board of Trial Advocacy, Chair of the Southeastern Motor Carrier Liability Institute and former chair of the Georgia Insurance Law Institute. He particularly focuses on cases arising from truck wrecks and accidents (tractor trailers truck wrecks, semi truck wrecks,18 wheeler truck wrecks, big rig truck wrecks, log truck wrecks, dump truck wrecks). He and Sally have been married since 1983, and are the proud parnts of two young adults, Anne Shigley and Ken Shigley, Jr.