Four Months to go DOT Enforces the Hours of Service Rule

If the value of a government regulation is measured by how much its stakeholders hate it, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) rule governing a truck driver's hours of service—known simply as "HOS"—is giving U.S. taxpayers maximum bang for their buck.
Carriers loathe the regulations because they cut into their productivity and require more resources to move the same amount of freight they handle now. Shippers fear them because they could be forced to reconfigure their manufacturing and distribution networks if they want to get their goods to market in a timely fashion. Drivers claim the rules curtail their ability to earn a living and force rest upon them when they don't need it. State regulators worry that carriers will put more trucks on the road to offset the productivity losses, straining their enforcement capabilities. Some in Congress argue the rule creates a safety hazard by forcing commercial drivers onto the highways at the same time as millions of morning rush-hour commuters...Read More

ATA Asks Delay of HOS Changes

ATA Asks Delay of HOS Changes Until Court Appeal Is Resolved

By Timothy Cama, Staff Reporter This story appears in the Feb. 4 print edition of Transport Topics. American Trucking Associations has asked the federal government to delay implementing changes to the hours-of-service regulations until three months after the group’s pending legal challenge ends. A delay, ATA said, would avoid confusion and potentially unnecessary law enforcement training should the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturn or change the rule. Full Story