by TQL
4/6/2011
The decade-long effort to reform the truck driver hours of service (HOS) rules will continue well into this year. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is still trying to come up with a revised set of final rules that satisfy all parties involved. The public has been invited to scrutinize the latest HOS proposal and a final decision from the FMCSA (with all public comment taken into consideration) is due by the end of July.
In 2000, the administration proposed the first major changes to the hours of service rules since 1937. Since then, revisions to that initial proposal have been the target of frequent lawsuits by safety activists. Proponents of the proposal are complaining that the FMCSA needs to address more concerns about driver health, the 11-hour limit on driving time and the 34-hour restart, all of which they believe negatively impacts large truck safety.
Those opposed to further restricting driving time believe that there is no evidence to suggest that the current regulations have harmed safety, and point to steadily declining injury and fatality rates in large truck-related crashes as evidence that the current restrictions are sufficient. Many in the industry say they don’t want a revision that restricts their ability to operate successfully. Some estimates fear likely changes to hours of service regulations could affect productivity by up to 6%, which means an extra 150,000 trucks and drivers would be needed to move the same amount of freight currently hauled.
These new rules will dictate safety requirements and set key operational limits for the entire industry. It is a fine line: too many rules might affect a trucker’s ability to operate profitably, but a lack of rules could negatively impact public safety.
The debate goes on and TQL will watch it every step of the way so we will be prepared to support our valued carriers. To read the full HOS proposal, click here.
