HOURS OF SERVICE. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which held four public hearings in January about revising the hours of service rule, this year will publish a notice of proposed rulemaking as part of a settlement with safety groups challenging the current regulations. This month’s SpeakOut contains opinions about revising the rule.

Rule unfair, illogical

My husband, father, brothers and nephew are truckers. I operated a trucking company until I retired.

The current hours of service rule makes the roads less safe than before. More truckers have to drive while fatigued because they are unable to take short naps.

Unlike truckers, medical professionals who give critical life care remain unregulated. Before my mother-in-law died, I witnessed nurses working up to 16-hour shifts. Doctors, too, are known to put in very long hours.

Also, the argument that the big rig’s weight has more safety impact than other vehicles lacks logic. After all, if a sleepy salesman driving a Volkswagen falls asleep while in front of a big rig or loses control of his car, the VW’s light weight can cause catastrophes, from no fault of the big rig.

While some regulations may be important, the roads would be much safer if truckers who monitor their actions responsibly were allowed to do so.