WASHINGTON — Truckinginfo.com reported that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced that the new hours of service rule that was due to be published today has been pushed back by at least a month.

With new studies being inserted into the document back in May, and the current version still needing to be vetted by the White House of Management and Budget, nobody is particularly surprised the FMCSA missed today’s deadline.

"FMCSA will continue to work toward publishing a final rule as quickly as possible," the agency said in a statement. "The parties to the settlement agreement will file their next status report with the Court on November 28, 2011."

FMCSA decided to revise the rule in 2009 in an attempt to resolve the lengthy legal battle with Public Citizen, the Teamsters union and other advocacy groups.

While the details of the rule are unknown at this time, the outcome will more than likely shake up the trucking industry. If the FMCSA decides to keep the proposed changes, the American Trucking Association (ATA) will sue. And if they decide to keep the rule as it sits now, Public Citizen will start up their lawsuit again, reported truckinginfo.com.

While this has been happening, Congress has been trying to block any changes to the rule, asking Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to keep the current rule so as not to overload the trucking industry with unnecessary regulations.

For more on the story, check out truckinginfo.com