American Trucking Association Challenges U.S. on Hours of Service Rule

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Today's Trucking Feb 14, 2012

The Americian Trucking Association (ATA) is going to court to challenge the Federal Motor Carrier Association's (FMCSA) hours-of-service rule changes, Bloomberg reported today.

The driver-fatigue rules focus on the wrong safety problems and don't meet legal requirements, the ATA said in a statement.

Specifically, the ATA objects to the weekly 34-hour rest period that would require drivers to be off two consecutive nights and a requirement that drivers take a break no later than eight hours into their driving time.

“We cannot allow this rulemaking, which was fueled by changed assumptions and analyses that do not meet the required legal standards, to remain unchallenged,” Bill Graves, president and chief executive officer of the American Trucking Associations, said in a statement.

The ATA said that speeding causes more truck-related crashes than fatigue, and that under the proposed rule, more drivers would be forced to drive during rush hour, increasing the likelihood of crashes.

While the ATA said they would continue to work with the FMCSA on implementing new rules, those rules must be based on "sound research."

The ATA also said that it supports a new government requirement for large trucks to be electronically speed limited and a national maximum speed limit of 65 mph for all vehicles.

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