Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020:
With HOS changes taking effect in less than two weeks, groups seek to derail them
With less than two weeks to go until an overhauled hours of service rule takes effect, a band of usual suspects has sued the U.S. DOT seeking to derail the new regs. It’s unclear whether the groups are seeking an injunction to block them from taking effect or whether they’re simply seeking a longer-term ruling against the new HOS regs.
On Wednesday, the Advocates for Auto and Highway Safety announced it had joined the Teamsters Union, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways and Parents Against Tired Truckers in a lawsuit against the looming hours of service rule and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. They’re being represented by Public Citizen.
The regs are slated to take effect Sept. 29. They’re intended to give truck drivers greater flexibility in managing their on- and off-duty time. The groups suing argue the regs are “not backed by sound science” and “will further exacerbate the already well-known threat of fatigue among commercial motor vehicle drivers.”
I-94 EB in Michigan to divert two nights next week
The intersection of I-94 and state highway 60 near Jackson, Michigan, will experience two nights of disruption for traffic along the interstate, most significantly eastbound traffic.
Starting 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday, September 23, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will close EB I-94 and reduce WB I-94 to one lane at the WB M-60 ramp on Wednesday night and Thursday morning to install beams. Additionally, the EB M-60 ramp to WB I-94 will be closed and detoured. This work is part of the ongoing I-94 Corridor Project.
Eastbound I-94 traffic will be detoured to westbound M-60, then to the Michigan Avenue exit and back to eastbound I-94.
