Hours of service proposal meets more opposition from trucking industry

The recent hours of service proposal from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) comes has been faced with opposition by many trucking organizations and associations. The National Private Truck Council (NPTC) are among the new opponents to FMCSA's proposal on trucker's hours of service, The Trucker reports.

The proposal cites that the 10-hour rule allows drivers return to home after a shift and take care of personal matters, and still receive up to eight hours of rest before reporting to work. However, this also means more trucks will be running during daylight and peak highway hours, which could increase safety concerns

"The current hours of service regulations have not harmed motor carrier safety as many opponents predicted," officials from the NPTC stated in a release. "In fact, these regulations have contributed to a remarkable and unprecedented improvement in crash and fatality rates involving heavy trucks.”

NPTC officials added that drivers receive more and better quality rest with a requirement for 10 consecutive hours off duty instead of eight.

According to the FMCSA, more than 2 million roadside truck inspections occurred in 2010. Furthermore, approximately 3.4 million drivers were inspected during the same time frame.

Hours of service proposal meets more opposition from trucking industry

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011