ATA urges carriers to back HOS rules

ARLINGTON, Va. — A month after the U.S. government announced it would keep current hours-of-service rules will virtually unchanged, the American Trucking Association is asking carriers to support the rules before yet another impending court challenge.

The ATA says carriers should file comments with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on its Dec. 17, 2007, Interim Final Rule on HOS, which retains intact the 11-hour daily driving time limit and 34-hour restart provisions.

ATA has developed two documents — a model letter and a supplemental guide — to aid motor carriers in preparing their response. These documents, along with general instructions. Direct involvement by trucking companies is essential, says ATA.

Comments must be filed with FMCSA no later than Feb. 15, 2008. ??In December, the agency made some adjustments to the rule in response to a July decision by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals vacating the two key provisions. This time, FMCSA did a better job of justifying the changes to the rule and included new data showing that safety levels have been maintained since the 11-hour driving limit was first implemented in 2003.

Almost immediately, public interest groups like Public Citizen, which have been attacking the rules since they were first rewritten in 2003, announced they would challenge the FMCSA’s rule in court once again.