ATA wants to keep hours rules

Ahead of the publication of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s proposed rule that will likely amend the current hours-of-service rules for commercial drivers, the American Trucking Associations has issued a white paper and launched an accompanying website highlighting the successes of the current HOS regulations.

ATA expects the proposed rule – which is at the White House Office of Management and Budget for review – to reduce driving time, require a rest period for each shift and increase the restart period before a driver can go back on-duty. In its white paper, ATA maintains the industry has operated safely under the current HOS rules that went into effect seven years ago. Since that time, truck-involved crash fatalities have fallen 33 percent, and truck-involved crash injuries have dropped significantly.

The association is calling for retention of current rules with the exception of greater flexibility in the sleeper berth rule. “When viewed against that sterling safety record, it seems plain that the Department of Transportation’s willingness to reconsider the HOS rules has almost everything to do with politics and little or nothing to do with highway safety,” ATA said.

New
Overdrive's Load Profit Analyzer
Know your costs? Compute the potential profit in any truckload, analyze per-day and per-mile breakouts, and compare real offers on multiple loads or game out hypothetical rate/lane scenarios. Enter your trucking business's fixed and variable costs, and load information, to get started.
Try it out!
Attachments Idea Book Cover

The white paper charges that reduction of driving time and major changes to the restart provision could cost the industry $2.25 billion annually. In addition, ATA maintains such changes will require the use of more inexperienced drivers, which will likely increase accident rates.

ATA’s HOS white paper can be downloaded here. To visit the website, go to www.safedriverhours.com.


The Business Manual for Owner-Operators
Overdrive editors and ATBS present the industry’s best manual for prospective and committed owner-operators. You’ll find exceptional depth on many issues in the Partners in Business playbook.
Access the Playbook
Partners in Business Issue Cover