FMCSA’s proposed hours of service revision stirs criticisms.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s proposal to modify the hours of service rule has found little love from the trucking industry or safety advocates.

FMCSA proposes that drivers’ workdays must end immediately after the 14-hour window for driving time. Under the current rule, drivers can do nondriving work after those 14 hours.

The American Trucking Associations called the Dec. 23 notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) “three big chunks of coal under trucking’s Christmas tree.” ATA blasted it for unnecessary complexity and its potential to greatly reduce productivity.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association says the proposed regulations fail to recognize how shippers and receivers impact driver on-duty hours.

The Truck Safety Coalition, along with Public Citizen and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, signaled a willingness to return the HOS issue to the courts if its demands weren’t satisfied, chief among them a reduction in cumulative daily driving hours to 10 from 11.

Comments filed online with FMCSA have been generally measured but dissatisfied, with a strong note of caution from drivers over the sheer complexity of the proposal. After the public comment period ends Feb. 28, the agency will proceed toward a final rulemaking that, under the terms of the 2009 settlement that prompted the recent proposed changes, FMCSA is obligated to issue by July 26.

After FMCSA held hours of service listening sessions in 2010 to solicit comments from trucking groups, carriers and truckers, many drivers believed the agency was working with them on the issue. They were hopeful for added flexibility in the rules, particularly addressing use of the sleeper berth for short rest periods that would extend the 14-hour driving window.