WASHINGTON, D.C. — The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has rejected a motion by Public Citizen claiming the current US hours-of-service are unsafe.

Public Citizen has been fighting to have the 11-hour driving day and 34-hour reset provisions thrown out. However, in its most recent ruling, the Court has sided with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which has defended the two key HoS provisions.

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) is pleased with the ruling, saying in a release that “Today’s ruling confirms ATA’s view that the Court’s prior concerns with the 11-hour daily drive-time limit and 34-hour restart provisions of the HoS rules were only procedural in nature and that the Court does not view those provisions as inherently unsafe.”

For now, the Interim Final Rule put forth by the FMCSA will remain in place, meaning truckers will continue to play by the current HoS rules.

“Government and industry safety data clearly indicate that the current rules are working in terms of driver health, truck safety, and overall highway safety,” said ATA president and CEO Bill Graves. “The rules have been in force for four years and safety has improved over this time period.”