DOT issues interim rule on truckers hours of service
By Dave Hannon -- Purchasing, 12/12/2007 1:07:00 PM
The Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Safety Administration has issued an interim final rule on trucking hours of service rules effective Dec. 27, which upholds existing limits on drivers' hours, rather than reducing the number of hours a driver can spend behind the wheel.
According to a statement from the FMCSA, truck drivers will continue to be limited to driving only 11 hours within a 14-hour duty period, after which they must go off duty for at least 10 hours. In July, U.S. Court of Appeals of the D.C. Circuit overturned two of the provisions in the rules.
"This proposal keeps in place hours-of-service limits that improve highway safety by ensuring that drivers are rested and ready to work," FMCSA Administrator John Hill said. "The data makes clear that these rules continue to protect drivers, make our roads safer and keep our economy moving."
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in September delayed until Dec. 27 a requirement that would reduce the continuous driving limit to 10 hours with eight hours of rest. FMCSA Administrator John Hill said the agency's data show that the number of crashes involving fatigued drivers has remained constant in recent years, and that crashes in the 11th hour of driving have been negligible.
“In order to ensure no gap in coverage of these important safety rules, the FMCSA interim final rule temporarily reinstates those two provisions while the agency gathers public comment on its actions and the underlying safety analysis before issuing a final rule,” the FMCSA’s statement says.
FMCSA’s interim rule said the agency “is fully committed to issuing a final rule in 2008.” Read the interim final rule here at the FMCSA web site.
The move was applauded by the American Trucking Associations and criticized by consumer rights groups and the Teamsters Union. In a statement, the ATA president Bill Graves said, “FMCSA has made an important contribution to highway safety by keeping in force Hours of Service rules that have led to a reduction in deaths and injuries over the last several years.”
"FMCSA is continuing the sweatshop conditions for truck drivers rolling down our highways, which endangers Americans all over the country," Joan Claybrook, president of Washington-based consumer watchdog Public Citizen, said.
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