Truck drivers are not supposed to stop to the side of the roadway but if the truck driver has to stop to the side of the roadway, they’re supposed to do two things: they’re supposed to use their hazard signals, and they are supposed to place warning devices behind the vehicle. The commercial driver’s license manual actually recommends for the truck driver that he or she puts on the four-way emergency flashers whenever stopping to the side of the road.
These recommendations are particularly important whenever the trucker stops to the side of the road at night. The truck drivers are advised to not rely solely on their taillights and they are specifically encouraged and told to turn on their emergency flashers and to place the warning devices behind, and on the side of their vehicles. The truck driver, once stopping, has to put these devices on within 10 minutes of stopping. The truck drivers have to place the warning devices at different distances or positions from their vehicle.
The positions depend upon what type of highway they are driving on. For example, they could be driving on a single lane highway or a divided highway or they could have actually had to stop on a hill or a crust or a curve. There are, as I said, different distances that the truck drivers have to place their warning signals. If you have questions in your case about whether the trucker actually properly turned on the hazard lights or the emergency flashers, or placed the warning signals behind it on the side of the truck, please call my office at 770-792-1000.