• 04
  • October
    2011

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is charged with regulating commercial vehicles on U.S. roads and highways. Over the past several months, the FMCSA has proposed a number of new rules that affect the trucking industry, including new guidelines on hours-of-service (HOS) - the number of hours any commercial trucker can be behind the wheel without a required rest break. While many have welcomed the federal agency's recommendations, the trucking industry may have finally drawn a clear line in the sand.

On September 2, 2011, the American Trucking Associations sent a letter to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget. In its letter, the ATA applauded the federal government's efforts and successes in promoting highway safety, but noted that current proposals - most specifically those related to HOS - would be detrimental to the nation's commercial carrier drivers and to the trucking industry as a whole.

The ATA reports that finalizing the proposed change in required duty hours would result in lost wages for drivers, lost productivity, and increased costs to the industry. In support of its request, the trucking industry leader noted that under current rules, American roadways are safer and that compliance with current rules is a contributing factor.

FMCSA Argues That HOS Rules Will Make Nation's Roads Safer

While the ATA's argument has merit, the FMCSA proposed new HOS rules to increase highway safety and reduce the risk for dangerous trucking accidents. In proposing the HOS rule change, the FMCSA considered the findings presented at the 2010 Operation Safe Driver annual meeting. At that meeting, truck safety stakeholders learned that 5.4 percent of over 30,000 commercial carrier inspections resulted in truckerss being taken out of service because they were violating existing HOS regulations. Driver fatigue has been the culprit in many truck accidents that have cause catastrophic injuries and deaths.

In addition to the Operation Safe Driver information, the FMCSA considered comments from a number of organizations, including the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In its letter regarding a number of proposed changes relative to duty hours, the IIHS pointed to the widespread rule violations by drivers and their companies, and driver fatigue.

Representing only a small percentage of vehicles on the road, commercial carriers are linked to a disproportionate number of traffic crashes. Reducing these crashes requires common sense and proactive measures. The FMCSA rules regarding truckers and vehicle operation time may be the key, but without the support from the trucking industry, the federal government may find creating and enforcing new regulations a nightmare.

Source: ATA Asks Obama Administration to Reconsider HOS Rules, Truckinginfo.com, 9/7/11