WASHINGTON — Truckinginfo.com recently reported that New Hampshire Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte introduced a measure to block the pending rewrite of the hours-of-service rule.

"This is yet another heavy-handed federal regulation," Ayotte said of the rewrite, "that would disrupt business operations and increase costs for the trucking industry and consumers, and New Hampshire’s truckers are rightfully concerned about the impact of these changes."

As an amendment to the 2012 transportation appropriations bill, the provision would choke funds to enforce or implement the new rule, which observers say will cut allowable daily driving time and include additional mandatory rest periods.

Robert Sculley, president of the New Hampshire Motor Transport Association, came out to back Ayotte’s initiative, saying "Our industry has never been safer. The proposed new rules by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will increase costs and cause delays in deliveries and service. It is critically important that we continue to operate under the current Federal guidelines and we applaud Senator Ayotte in her efforts in this area."

The bill is the latest in a series of congressional moves against the rule — which still hasn’t been sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget for vetting.

For more on this story, visit Heavy Duty Trucking Magazine or check out the Canadian Trucking Associations’ news release.