ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Mar. 15, 2005) — Truck drivers are spending more time behind the wheel since new U.S. hours-of-service rules went into effect in January 2004, according to a new survey.

According to the survey, conducted by the Alexandria, Va.-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, “the new rule lengthens the mandatory rest period by two hours but lets drivers stay on the road an extra hour every day.

The Institute is an auto insurance industry-backed educational organization dedicated to reducing crashes on U.S. highways.

“A workweek restart provision increases allowable driving hours in a seven-day period from 60 to 77. A quarter of drivers who were surveyed said they drive more than the new daily limit of 11 hours. Eight of 10 drivers said they’re taking advantage of the restart provision that allows them to drive 25 percent more in a week.

“While the drivers said their sleep time has increased under the new rule, they reported slightly more instances than the previous year (when the old work rule was in effect) of driving drowsy or falling asleep at the wheel. When drivers were asked about dozing at the wheel at least once in the past month, the reported percentage increased from 13 percent (2003, under the old rule) to 15 percent (2004).

Anne McCartt, Institute vice-president for research told Truckinginfo.com that, according to the poll, truckers are using the restart provision to squeeze even more driving hours into the week.

Enforcement of work hours has long been a problem because written logbooks are easily falsified. The survey shows this hasn’t changed. About a third of drivers said they sometimes or often omit hours worked from their logbooks. A proposal to include electronic onboard recorders (tamper-resistant devices that can monitor driving hours) was dropped before the new rule went into effect, she said, adding that without electronic recorders, the rule can’t be enforced effectively.

Speaking with Truckinginfo.com last week, McCartt confirmed that the institute supports mandatory service recorders — otherwise referred to as black boxes –and opposes current efforts by the Bush administration to override a July court decision that ordered the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to rewrite the rule.

— from Truckinginfo.com