WASHINGTON, (Mar. 9, 2005) — A proposed bill by a U.S. politician to extend hours-of-service rules to 16 on-duty hours is expected to receive vocal criticism by unions and lobby groups as it’s introduced as an amendment during debate over the highway spending bill.

Rep. John Boozman’s (R-Ark.) bill would allow truck drivers a 16-hour workday as long as they take two-hour breaks during the day, the Associated Press reports. The legislation is being backed by retail giant Wal-Mart, whose headquarters are located in Boozman’s Fayetteville, Ark. district. J.B. Hunt, the second-largest commercial for-hire truckload carrier in the U.S. is also based in Arkansas.

Critics of the proposal accuse Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, of trying to inflate profits on the backs of truck drivers.

The Teamsters union said in a statement it was “adamantly opposed” to any change in the hours-of-service rules, which took effect in January 2004, but were later tossed out by a U.S. judge for not taking ‘drivers’ health” into account. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has until Sept. 30 to amend the rule to satisfy the court’s concerns.

The latest HOS rules allow truck drivers 14-hour workdays with driving time limited to 11 consecutive hours, while the previous HOS regime allowed 10 hours of driving in a 15-hour work period, though drivers could log “off-duty” time not counted against the 15 hours.

If the Boozman proposal is adopted, it would retain the 16-hour workday regardless of any new rule drafted by the FMCSA, AP reports.