ATA president sees benefits of new truck safety measures

Recent regulations from new hours of service to new electronic on-board recorders have upset many members of the trucking industry. However, Bill Graves, president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations, recently announced at the 2011 Technology and Maintenance Council annual meeting that these challenges may become a benefit over time, Fleet Owner reports.

Graves told the news source that the new hours of service rules reduce the maximum daily driving time from 11 hours to 10 per shift. Furthermore, drivers are required to take a 30-minute break every seven hours on the road as proposed by the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA).

“We are looking at changes that reduce productivity, affect the rest break of the driver and lengthen the time it takes to get assets back on the road,” Graves told the news source. “And these changes are being proposed at a time when the industry has proved to be the safest it has ever been."

Recent studies from the Department of Transportation showed that truck-involved fatality rates decreased by more than 12 percent between 2008 and 2007, which marked the fifth consecutive year the rate had improved.

ATA president sees benefits of new truck safety measures

Monday, February 14th, 2011