������ý

Members of the trucking industry will have their first opportunity to make an in-person case for preserving the current hours-of-service rules on Feb. 17 when the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration conducts a listening session in Arlington, Va.

More than 30 carrier and shipper organizations, including American Trucking Associations, have banded together to seek a House Committee hearing to spotlight problems with the new federal hours-of-service proposal.

A coalition including American Trucking Associations, other groups and several large trucking companies has asked a key congressional panel for a hearing on a proposed new federal hours-of-service rule, saying the changes would have a “negative impact” on the U.S. economy.

Hours-of-service regulations have never been a “one size fits all” solution to the number of hours a driver is permitted to operate. Changes to the HOS regulations will always affect carrier operations differently — some slightly, some dramatically.    

American Trucking Associations began its pushback against the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s proposed hours-of-service rule last week by questioning the agency’s analysis and asking Congress to lobby on the industry’s behalf. 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s proposed new hours-of-service rule would cut driving hours, a move that trucking industry leaders said was politically motivated, adding cost and complexity while jeopardizing safety advances made in recent years.