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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Despite receiving requests from a bipartisan group of seven lawmakers in transportation oversight roles, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will not delay the July 1 effective date of the latest changes to its hours-of-service rule, FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro said here Friday.

A rule published Thursday by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration expands the distance that drivers hauling agricultural products, livestock, machinery or supplies to or from farms can travel under the hours-of-service exemption for the agriculture industry.

American Trucking Associations and a coalition of public interest advocates are expected to tell a federal court on Friday to strike down portions of the latest changes to federal hours-of-service rules.

American Trucking Associations’ request to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that it delay implementation of its latest iteration of a new hours-of-service rule for a few months — until a federal appeals court has ruled on ATA’s challenge — was very straightforward.

American Trucking Associations said Thursday the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s decision not to delay implementation of FMCSA’s hours-of-service rule will cost the trucking industry about $320 million between now and July 1.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has waived some hours-of-service rules for truckers serving in emergency-relief capacity in Northeastern states affected by the weekend blizzard.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has asked the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to delay implementing scheduled changes to the hours-of-service rules for truck drivers until three months after a pending legal challenge is resolved.

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.