The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has postponed until Nov. 28 releasing an hours-of-service final rule.

Previously, transportation officials had indicated to a federal court it would publish the HOS final rule Friday, Oct. 28.

Meanwhile, three Senate leaders announced support for the HOS proposal.

The FMCSA said, “The petitioners have agreed to extend the October 28, 2011 deadline for publication of a final hours-of-service rule. FMCSA will continue to work toward publishing a final rule as quickly as possible. The parties to the settlement agreement will file their next status report with the Court on November 28, 2011.”

Two years ago, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Public Citizen and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reached a settlement to replace the current rule issued in 2008. Last year, the agency adhered to the agreement’s schedule by sending a draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to the White House Office of Management and Budget by July 26.

It published an NPR December 2010, followed by the agency’s third status report to the court, which listed publication of a final rule by Oct. 28. The FMCSA sent a HOS final rule to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Aug. 11 and the next step would be for OMB to review it before the agency publishes it.

The FMCSA did not immediately respond to a request for an HOS status update.