Interstate Truckers

Interstate Trucking Duties and Rules

Interstate truckers have many of the same duties as other truck drivers. This includes:

• Operate heavy vehicles for extended periods
• Follow traffic laws of each state they travel
• Maintain vehicle and perform maintenance if necessary
• Inspect cargo before, during, and after travel
• Understand emergency procedures in the event of natural disasters, cargo theft, accidents, or other emergencies
• Be prepared for customs clearance if travelling in-and-out of the country

Interstate truckers must also log their Hours of Service (HOS). This is required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which dictates how much time a driver should be operating a vehicle. Some of these regulations include:

• Drivers have a 14-hour driving window, followed by 10 hours of rest or other job-related work that doesn’t involve driving.
• During the 14-hour window, drivers can only drive for 11 total hours.
• Drivers must take a 30-minute break after driving for 8 consecutive hours.
• Drivers cannot drive after 60-70 hours on duty for 7-8 days straight. Drivers must take 34 or more hours off duty before starting a new 7-8 day work period.

Interstate drivers do a lot of driving, which means they must have exceptional driving skills. To get all the skills they need to begin driving across states, they must obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL) through a government-approved driver training program. A driver must be 21 years old to apply.

Interstate vs Intrastate Truckers

If interstate truckers are drivers who pass through multiple states, what about drivers who stick to just one state? Those drivers are called intrastate truckers. They are limited to driving just around one state, even if that state is more extensive (like Texas or California). These drivers are usually short-haul drivers who don’t cross state lines or local drivers who work for local communities, such as garbage truck drivers, mail carriers, or in-store drivers.

Interstate and intrastate drivers have a few similarities between them:

• They both can operate regular semi-trucks for their jobs
• They must follow traffic laws
• They must maintain their vehicles
• They must obtain a CDL to become commercial drivers.

However, there are many differences between interstate and intrastate drivers, including vehicle types, the type of licensing they need, and what rules they need to follow.

Vehicles

In addition to regular semi trucks, interstate drivers can operate specialized vehicles for heavy haul shipping, such as flatbeds, RGNs, reefers, and dry vans. Intrastate drivers can also use semi trucks, but they usually operate specialized vehicles for shorter distances, such as box trucks, garbage trucks, and parcel vans.

Licenses

Both kinds of drivers need to get a CDL to operate a commercial vehicle. However, the requirements differ depending on how much driving they’ll be doing and if a driver is crossing state lines. Interstate drivers must be 21 to cross state lines and complete an approved driver training program. Intrastate drivers must be 18 years old but don’t have to complete a training program to start driving.

Regulations

Interstate drivers must comply with FMCSA rules, including logging their HOS, taking mandatory breaks, and going off-duty after 14 hours of driving. Intrastate drivers do not have to follow FMCSA regulations but must follow state regulations, which differ depending on the state. Both also have different insurance requirements; for example, intrastate trucking insurance rules are less rigid than interstate trucking insurance, which means less coverage for accidents.