Will FMCSA Administrator Ray Martinez thread the needle toward hours change?

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No sooner did we receive word of an amendment proposed to the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that seemed to be designed to grease the skids for some sort of regulatory hours of service action by the FMCSA than I heard the opposite, at least according to an aide to the amendment’s sponsor, Arkansas Rep. Rick Crawford.

Overdrive News Editor James Jaillet, TruckersNews.com Editor David Hollis and I talked about the amendment yesterday for the Overdrive Radio podcast on tap here today, ahead of the full audio of Hollis and Jaillet’s interview with new FMCSA Administrator Ray Martinez at the Mid-America Trucking Show last month. When I called Crawford’s office to ask whether, as I speculated, Crawford worked directly with FMCSA in crafting the amendment — which would have removed a regulatory step for FMCSA in any hours of service proposed rulemaking — his office noted they expected the amendment would not ultimately be taken up here and was to be withdrawn.

We’re keeping an eye on that going forward, but for now, here’s the podcast, interesting to hear for several reasons, chiefly as it gives a window directly into the new FMCSA administrator’s thinking on his still quite new post, and just what he might be able to do if the agency wants to in fact thread the needle through divisions in opinion on views around the ELD mandate, hours of service and so much more, and make meaningful change.

The podcast starts with a discussion between myself, Jaillet and Hollis on the two’s impressions of Martinez and how they feel he will accomplish what he sets out to do. It follows with the full audio of the Martinez interview, starting around minute 16. Take a listen: