ATA applauds hours-of-service restart report

by Truck News

ARLINGTON, Va. – The American Trucking Associations (ATA) president and CEO Chris Spear said he was pleased by the release of a US Department of Transportation report that found no benefit to the onerous and unjustified restrictions placed on the use of the 34-hour restart by professional drivers.

“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. “We knew from the beginning that these Obama administration restrictions provided no benefit to safety, and in light of the DOT’s findings – corroborated by the DOT Inspector General – it is good for our industry and for the motoring public that they will be done away with permanently as specified by language ATA lead the charge on including in the most recently passed Continuing Resolution.”

The ATA has fought against these restrictions – which limited drivers’ flexibility in the use of the restart – since they were first proposed in 2013.

“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,” Spear said. “This marks the end of a long struggle, but hopefully the beginning of a new era of inclusive and data-based regulation.”


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  • Now get rid of the 14 hour window. You can not force a human being to sleep 8 hours a night or more. It is counterproductive to drivers that need a refresher nap during the day. Our driver age is getting older and I myself getting older have noticed the benefit or need for the break. I would consider myself to be much more alert for the rest of the day.