By TruckingInfo Staff
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration defended its hours-of-service rule in a court filing, arguing that limits on the 34-hour restart are reasonable.
The agency also told a federal appeals court that the risks of the 11-hour limit on driving are outweighed by the productivity savings, and the 30-minute rest break improves safety.
The agency was responding to a petition from American Trucking Associations objecting to a change in which the 34-hour restart will be limited to once a week, with each restart including two rest periods between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.
ATA also objects to the requirement that a driver must take a half-hour off if it’s been more than eight hours since he took an off-duty or sleeper berth break.
The agency told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that ATA’s objection to the break requirement is based on a misreading of the scientific evidence, which shows that off-duty breaks provide the greatest safety benefit.
The agency’s position on the 11-hour rule is in response to objections from the safety advocacy community, which holds that the limit should never have been increased from the former 10-hour restriction.
The agency said its analysis shows that even if there is small increased risk of more crashes associated with 11 hours of driving, the cost of the those crashes will be outweighed by the productivity savings of having the extra hour.
Final briefs in this case are due Nove. 21. Oral arguments have not been scheduled. The outcome of the case could change the effective date of the hours-of-service changes, now scheduled for next July.
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6/6/2012 – DOT: Trucks Hauling Sand, Water for Fracking Not Exempt from HOS Rules
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5/30/2012 – FMCSA Extends Time for Comments on Proposed Safety Measurement System
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5/24/2012 – Associations Lobby Highway Bill Conferees to Address Trucking’s Needs
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5/24/2012 – FMCSA Offers Consumers Moving Company Checklist
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5/24/2012 – Major Trucking Players React Positively to NHTSA’s Stability Control Proposal
The American Trucking Associations issued a statement praising the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s proposed requirement for electronic stability control on large trucks….
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5/23/2012 – U.S. and Mexican Officials to Identify Needed Border-Crossing Projects
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5/11/2012 – CARB Urges Tractor-Trailer Owners to Register Early for Flexibility
The California Air Resources Board is encouraging small fleet owners of 2010 and older model year 53-foot or longer box-type trailers that operate on California highways to report vehicle information now to gain additional time to comply with the Tractor-Trailer Greenhouse Gas regulation….
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5/11/2012 – DOT Simplifies Stop Sign Regs
The Obama Administration is eliminating 46 regulations on traffic signs to provide more flexibility for state and local governments, including allowing communities to replace traffic signs when they are worn out rather than requiring signs to be replaced by a specific date….
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5/11/2012 – Carriers Can Preview Proposed CSA Safety Measurement System Changes
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has updated the CSA Safety Measurement System website and the SMS Preview website. Carriers can log in to to CSA’s Safety Measurement System site to preview the first package of proposed changes through two websites:…
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5/9/2012 – Teamsters Endorse Obama in 2012
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa announced the union’s endorsement of President Barack Obama for re-election in 2012. Hoffa made the official announcement to more than 1,500 Teamster members attending the union’s annual conference in Las Vegas this week….
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5/9/2012 – ATA’s Graves Not Optimistic about Highway Bill
The country has a lot on the line in the current negotiations over the highway bill, but Bill Graves, president and CEO of American Trucking Associations, is not optimistic that Congress will do what needs to be done….
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5/8/2012 – Motor Carriers Asked to Weigh in on CSA
This week, the American Transportation Research Institute launched its second annual motor carrier survey to identify CSA impacts on trucking operations, as well as carrier perceptions and attitudes toward FMCSA’s maturing regulatory program….
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5/8/2012 – Stability Control Proposal Nearing Publication
A proposal to require stability control systems on heavy-duty tractors is nearing publication. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposal has been cleared by the White House Office of Management and Budget, the last step in the review process….
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5/8/2012 – Industry and Safety Groups Press for Recorder Mandate
Trucking and safety interests are pressing congressional negotiators to include an electronic onboard recorder mandate in the highway bill they are drafting. In a letter to leaders of the House-Senate conference committee, industry interest groups strongly urged that the mandate be kept in the bill….
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5/5/2012 – CSA Data May Indicate Move by Drivers to Independent Owner-Operators
Federal safety data indicate that carrier registrations have jumped by 7.5% over the past 14 months, possibly reflecting a move by drivers to go into business for themselves, according to an analysis by QualifiedCarriers, a risk management services provider to shippers….
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5/4/2012 – Fuel Economy Standards Could Reduce Transportation Funds by $57 Billion
Proposed fuel economy standards could result in a $57 billion drop in tax revenue that goes to federal transportation funds, says the Congressional Budget Office.
New CAFE standards (or corporate average fuel economy standards), proposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency in 2011, would tighten fuel economy standards for light-duty vehicles manufactured from 2017 to 2025….
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