Truck drivers offer valuable service to the nation’s economy. They deliver supplies from one side of the country to another, thus ensuring a continuous flow of production and other processes that rely on said delivered products. As important members of society, truck drivers should be made aware of their rights to protect themselves from being abused. Before you begin an online search for trucking lawyers in Washington, here are a few things that you need to know and understand about the rights granted by the letter of the law to all truck drivers across the country:
Employers cannot coerce truck drivers into violating FMCSA provisions
Truck drivers have the right to file a complaint in the event that their employers coerce them into performing a task that they know might potentially violate any of the provisions of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, also known as FMCSA. According to FMCSA, coercion involves an event wherein an intermediary threatens to fire or punish a driver for refusing to do acts that are in blatant violation of provisions from the Federal Motor Carrier Commercial Regulations (FMCCRs), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMSCRs), and the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMRs).
The state decides whether they would be granted unemployment benefits
It is important for truck drivers to note that companies are not the ones who are approving or denying unemployment benefits. The decision to approve or deny any application lies solely on the state in which the trucking company belongs to. It is also largely dictated by prima facie evidence or the ones that they have been told. In cases where the company’s state is different from where the driver is residing at, he or she would have the right to have the unemployment case conducted in your home state.
Truck drivers have the right to carry firearms
Driving trucks is considered by many as one of the most dangerous jobs in the country. In addition, it is usually the routes that they are forced to take that bring the greatest threats to their lives while on the job. To many dangerous criminals, truck drivers are commonly viewed as easy targets. This is especially true when you consider the fact that the crime of hijacking freights costs billions of dollars every year. Because of this, truck drivers usually carry firearms—a right guaranteed by the Second Amendment in the United States Constitution. This is done in order for truckers to be able to protect themselves against any possible threat that might come their way while they are on the road.
Truckers serve as the essential backbone of the commerce industry. Without them, no one would be able to transport goods from all over the country, which would lead to the collapse of businesses as well as the government itself. Because of this important role that truck drivers play in society, it is only right that they be treated with respect and dignity as well as be afforded all the rights befitting a first-class citizen.