By Christine Show, ORLANDO SENTINEL

It was a typical night for Julio Rentas Jr. as he steered his tractor-trailer along an open stretch of Interstate 95 in Flagler County.Then, out of nowhere, trucker Betty Tucker pulled onto the interstate from the shoulder, where she had pulled over to check a light that had come on in her cab. Rentas’ rig smashed into Tucker’s, killing the 33-year-old Groveland father of two.

A lawsuit in federal court accused Tucker, of Richmond, Va., of having driven a grueling 19 consecutive hours before the accident.

“It’s a safety problem — drivers like this are putting everyone on the road at risk.” said Orlando attorney Henry “Hank” Didier, who, along with colleague P. Alexander Gillen, won a $3 million verdict this month for the Rentas family over the December 2009 accident.

In a move to help prevent such accidents, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which enforces trucking regulations, has proposed reducing the allowable driving time for interstate truckers from 11 hours in each 14-hour shift to 10 hours. Truckers also would be required to take a one-hour break during marathon shifts that include loading and unloading their cargo and to take more time off duty between seven-day stretches. A final decision is due Oct. 28 on the rules, which the trucking industry says will raise the cost of doing business.

In addition, the federal agency last year approved a rule that by 2012 will require interstate truckers who repeatedly violate hours limits to install electronic devices that replace traditional paper log books. Yet another rule still in the works could require recorders for interstate truckers, regardless of whether they’ve been caught cheating on their logs.

The changes come even as the number of fatal truck crashes has dropped in recent years after a major overhaul of rules that took effect in 2004. Since then, truckers have had to take 10 hours off to rest between shifts — two hours longer than previously. Truckers used to be able to work and take breaks as they needed, but the 2004 rules required that once drivers started a shift, they needed to stop working 14 hours later.

The stricter rules have contributed to a reduction in fatal crashes, trucking organizations say. In 2009, the number of fatal crashes nationwide involving large trucks dropped 20 percent from 2008, to 2,987, according to an April report from the safety administration. During the same period, vehicle-miles traveled by large trucks fell 7 percent, the report showed.

But in a December report, the federal agency said the fatal-crash numbers were “still unacceptably high.” And industry experts say the proposed changes still won’t do enough to improve safety in the demanding industry and reduce the exhaustion that truckers experience.

Truckers are routinely confronted with tight schedules and often have little choice but to press on and fight fatigue. With the poor economy pressuring trucking companies to operate more efficiently with fewer drivers, there’s even more of a push for truckers to maximize their time. Because of the demands, some truckers break the rules that limit how long they’re supposed to be behind the wheel at a given time — often with tragic consequences.

In 2006, a truck driver plowed into a car stopped behind a school bus in Lake Butler, a tiny North Florida community. The car burst into flames, killing seven children ranging in age from 20 months to 15 years old. The NationalTransportation Safety Board found that the trucker, Alvin Wilkerson, had been awake for 34 hours before the wreck, except for a brief nap. He is serving a seven-year prison sentence.

Fatigue also was a factor in a June wreck in Leon County, where a tractor-trailer driver crashed into a car head-on and killed a woman. Trucker James Perry Wyrosdick, who was arrested on several charges, including driving under the influence of drugs and vehicular homicide, had exceeded the limit of driving hours for his shift, authorities said. He is currently in the Leon County Jail.

Although federal crash records show fatigue as the cause in fewer than 2 percent of fatal truck crashes last year, the statistics often don’t tell the entire story, said Henry Jasny, general counsel and vice president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. Law officers who fill out crash reports often check off other factors, such as failing to yield or swerving, he said. Fatigue is usually reported only if a driver admits being tired, he said.

“Otherwise, it doesn’t get noticed,” said Jasny, whose Washington, D.C., group lobbies for stricter rules to combat the problem of sleepy truckers. “You don’t know where or when it’s going to happen.”

Fort Lauderdale trucker Laurie Clarke, who was taking a break at an Interstate 4 rest area in Seminole County last week, knows the stress that lengthy driving shifts can bring. She and fellow truckers are under extreme pressure to meet schedules, she said, and punctuality is important for companies to operate efficiently and inexpensively.

“Toward the end [of the shift], I’m getting tired, no doubt about it,” said Clarke, 41, who in her travels has noticed how fatigue affects other truckers. “You see them weaving all over the road.”

But the American Trucking Associations, which represents the trucking industry, argues that the need for tougher driving rules is unnecessary given that the number of fatal crashes is down.They will serve only to drive up costs for trucking companies in an already-difficult economic situation, said Dave Osiecki, the organization’s senior vice president for police and regulatory affairs.

“It’s hard to understand what the basis is of these changes,” Osiecki said.

No changes are in the offing for truckers who work solely in Florida, according to the state Office of Motor Carrier Compliance. Those truckers can drive longer than their interstate brethren — up to 12 hours in a 16-hour shift. The rules have not been reviewed since 2005.

But interstate drivers often feel forced to maximize their driving time even if they need to rest, said Todd Spencer, executive vice president of Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which represents more than 150,000 members.

Jasny said drowsy truckers are a danger to themselves and other motorists.

“They’re like time bombs waiting to go off,” he said. “You don’t know where or when it’s going to happen.”

Melissa Wisdom, who has traveled cross-country for 11 years, said she would appreciate more breaks during her shifts.

“I’m traveling through the day. I rest. And then I get back up and drive,” said the 51-year-old Jacksonville resident, who drinks jugs of coffee to stay awake. “All this traffic is very stressful. I get really tired.”

Tucker, the trucker involved in the crash that killed Rentas, was cited for improper lane change for pulling out in front of a vehicle going in the same direction. Her license is suspended after she failed to pay a fine associated with the case, according to Flagler County court records.

Before his death, Rentas juggled the challenges of truck driving and spending time with his family. Nine months before the accident, the family moved to Central Florida from Jersey City, N.J., in search of a better life.

Rentas spent his last day with his wife, Glenda, and their two sons, Anthony, now 14, and Michael, now 5. They gathered for breakfast. He slept during the day. Before he left for work that night, he sat down for dinner with his family.

It would be their last meal together.

cshow@tribune.com or 352-742-5917