American Trucking Association praises DOT report on hours of service restriction

The American Trucking Association praised a report from the U.S. Department of Transportation showing the restrictions placed on the 34-hour restart rule had no driver benefits.

“It is good for our industry and for the motoring public that they will be done away with permanently as specified by language ATA led the charge on,” Chris Spear, president and CEO of the trade organization, said in a news release.

The restrictions had impacted drivers’ hours of service requirements and the restart of a driver’s 60- or 70-hour limit that drivers started complying with July 1, 2013. On Dec. 16, 2014, the restrictions were suspended, and drivers could resume following the 34-hour restart rule as it was before July 2013. As part of the rule suspension, the federal agency was required to study the safety, health and fatigue impacts related to the restrictions on the rule.

The report, which was prepared by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, would have required the suspended restrictions on the 34-hour restart to go back into effect if they showed to be effective.

The ATA has fought against the restrictions since they were proposed in 2013. “The release of this report closes what has been a long, and unnecessary, chapter in our industry’s drive to improve highway safety,” Spear said. “Congress repeatedly told the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that rules of this nature must show a benefit to safety, and this report clearly shows there was no benefit.”