WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 3, 2003) — A Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) hours of service briefing conducted with industry stakeholders revealed truckers and carriers will have eight months to comply with the new rule after it is published in the Federal Register on May 31, 2003.

Although details of the proposed rule were not part of the discussion, the group did discuss several key areas of the implementation plan.

Formal enforcement of the new rule will not begin until the eight-month period is complete, although technically the rule will be in effect 60 days after publication. The industry will continue to operate under the old rule until the eight months is up. The extra time will allow the agency and the states adequate time to implement the rule, and industries time to comply.

FMCSA also said that within six months of the rule’s publication, the agency plans to modify its computer systems, work with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) to make any necessary modifications to the Out-of-Service criteria, update its Field Operations Training Manual and modify its education and technical assistance programs packages and website. The agency also plans to train more than 8,000 Federal and Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) investigators, inspectors and auditors.