ATA makes last-ditch attempt to postpone HoS rule changes

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ARLINGTON, Va. — In a last-ditch attempt to have the July 1 changes to US hours-of-service rules derailed, the American Trucking Associations’ today addressed the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on the potential costs the industry will incur if the changes are implemented.

Steve Williams, chairman and CEO of Maverick USA, argued the impending changes are not supported by data or research.

“FMCSA’s motivation to change these rules was not based on evidence demonstrating a problem,” said Williams, a past chairman of ATA and the current chairman of the American Transportation Research Institute. “FMCSA’s three paragraph statement in the rulemaking called ‘The Purpose and Need for Regulatory Action’ did not cite any research or data analysis showing a problem. That speaks volumes.”

He cited a 31% drop in preventable collisions between 2004 and 2009 as evidence the current rules are working.

“The industry will lose operating flexibility and productivity, and the rules will increase driver stress and frustration,” he said, noting an estimated 1.5% to 4% reduction in productivity will translate to “between $500 million and $1.4 billion in lost productivity.”

Williams also said that it is “difficult, bordering on impossible, to accept FMCSA’s suggestion that corresponding benefits will result from these changes and that they will somehow offset all the costs.”

Williams also challenged the FMCSA’s claims that 15% of drivers work more than 70 hours per week. He referred to the claims as “grossly overstated,” and argued “the pending restart changes would have a net annual cost (not a benefit) to industry and society,” when the actual numbers are used.

Williams called on the Congress to postpone the July 1 implementation of the new rules until the FMCSA completes mandated research on the rule. He also sought an independent analysis of the regulation.

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  • Politics and money is all that is driving the change, politicians need to look like they are doing something and enforcement can now have another charge to make money with. Common sense and reality have nothing to do with this

  • This ruling that the USA is trying to in pose. Will cause a lot of frustion to both sides of the border. There’s a shortage of drivers on both sides of North America. COMMODITIES will be slow to deliver.

    I work five week now and know alot of drivers who work that schedule every week. We are not stressed. have our weekends off, to get our rest. As a flatbed ower/operator. What the USA wants us to work Seven full days before a break, which makes no sense at all.

    I’m sorry that when the DOT for the HOS put the present ruling in place. Was the best plan that they have done years. WE dont live in our trucks. Its a job like the people who work 5 to 6 days a week off the hwy. All night people or days. Think of the stress that they indoor. when they come out on the hwy , when we are trying to make delivers to their business.

    Shame on H O S.

  • Said it before, they do not realize the actual cost of these changes.

    We need to get my petition moving, to revoke the FSLA exemption for trucking in the US. Then they will actually see what trucking can cost.
    Mandatory overtime and pay for every part of the job will result in a level playing field for small operations as well as big boys with multiple fleets, and a real living wage for drivers as well as owner/operators.

    http://www.change.org/petitions/u-s-secretary-of-transportation-disallow-flsa-exemption-for-trucking-upon-order-requiring-eobr-s

  • Surprisingly they are only catching on to this now. This rule has been implemented since Feb, and July is the date in which they propose to actually start making sure it is followed. Why do they wait till the last minute to do anything about this travesty? As a Canadian driver this will make our countries even farther in the rules.

  • HOW THEY WILL MANAGE TO PARK 200 OR 300 TRUCKS FOR TWO NIGHTS STRAIGHT LET’S SAID IN WASHINGTON DC.BOSTON.MA OR NEW YORK WHERE RIGHT NOW IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DO IT.? DO THEY KNOW THAT THE DRIVER FINISHING THE 70 HRS WEEK IN WENSDAY MORNING CANNOT STAR DRIVING UNTIL Saturday MORNING AND THE CHANCE OF GET A LOAD TO GO OUT ON WEEKENDS IS VERY LOW AND YOU WILL END GETTING CRAZY 4 DAYS INSIDE THE TRUCK .EATING SHIT AND GETTING MAD ANY MINUTE. SO WHEN MONDAY MORNING FINALLY ARRIVE YOU ARE READY TOO KILL THE FIRST STUPID WHO CROSS YOUR LINE WITHOUT WARNING LET’S WAIT FOR THE NEW ACCIDENTS REPORT JUST GO OUT

  • The FMCSA is listening to all the interest groups that are against the transport industry that have cried for these changes figuring that it will take more trucks off the road. They do not realise that when they cannot get the products from the stores that they need for their home, they’ll be ranting to the store owners asking why it’s not on the shelves for their convenience and told that because of their ignorance of what the trucking industry really do. They’ll only have themselves too blame for the lack of products in stores for their use.

  • If this is going to work well, then the rest of the transportation industry has to be involved too – the shippers and receivers have to be held accountable for detention time, as the drivers need to be moving as much as possible in order to make a living and to keep frustration levels at a minimum (as much as possible) or we are going to see drivers trying to make up lost time (at a shipper or receivers) and start taking risks they normally wouldn’t …. If you’re gonna make a cake, you need all the ingredients – drivers, shippers, receivers, dispatchers, etc- before you can bake it – this new HOS is half-baked and not going to turn out well!