US politicians defend current HoS rules
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressmen and Senators from both sides of the aisle have joined forces to ask the Obama Administration to keep the current US hours-of-service rules.
The bipartisan group of 122 Representatives wrote Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to point out: “The rules currently in place are working well and do not need to be changed. Since the current rules were implemented seven years ago, the trucking industry’s safety performance has improved at an unprecedented rate.”
The letter points out that since the current rules went into place in 2004, the number of fatal and injury crashes involving larges trucks have fallen to historic lows.
“If the proposed changes are put in place, companies will be forced to increase the number of trucks on the road necessary for delivering the same amount of freight; adding to final product costs and increasing congestion on our nation’s highways,” a group of 23 Senators wrote in their letter to LaHood.
The letters were appreciated by the American Trucking Associations, which also has been lobbying to keep the current rules.
“It is increasingly clear that this proposal is the result of political pressure and not a fair interpretation of trucking’s safety record,” ATA president and CEO Bill Graves said. “ATA appreciates that some politicians are basing their views not on politics, but on the hard evidence that the current hours-of-service rules are working.”
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I live in Canada and have traveled in the US and am glad they are not changing the H.O.S. rules as it was hard to keep track at the beginning and now knowing what to do to keep the D.O.T rules and regulations has keeped my cost down at the weigh scales and not worring wheather or not I am okay and good to go. Thank you for not changing the rules and keep up the good job.
When looking at the new proposals of H.O.S. and reduction of hours worked.This brings to mind of the number of accidents and the safety factor of reduced accidents with the 2004 changes. I can see where the FMCSA is kinda coming from, with the 2004 revision the accident rate went down with fewer hours, so with even fewer hours the rate should even drop more, right? Kinda make sense? So if you took all the volkswagens off the road they would have a 0% crash rating, a perefect safety vehicle, right? As long as you left them in the driveway.
The hours of service should remain the same except for one area…..go back to allowing the split sleeper berth!!!!!