Editorial: Keep the Dialogue Open

We strive to interact directly with those who have the most influence on the trucking and freight transportation industry, so we thank Scott Darling III, acting chief of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, for speaking with Transport Topics last week.

With our offices located just a few miles from Capitol Hill, we are often told by our busy readers that they turn to us to keep them informed about how their businesses will be affected by the decision-makers up there.

We also believe the timing of Darling’s exclusive interview (see story, p. 1) is particularly pertinent as trucking executives gather in San Diego for American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition.

That’s because despite a stronger economy, resulting in record results for truck tonnage and strong equipment orders, the industry remains wary of costs associated with an onslaught of federal regulations.

No regulation has caused more ire over the past 15 months than the restrictive changes to the hours-of-service restart provision that took effect in July 2013.

Trucking maintains the restrictions are hurting the industry’s productivity, resulting in less pay for drivers and putting more pressure on the driver shortage.

Just as important, truckers say the rule doesn’t increase safety because the requirement of two overnight rest periods forces more trucks onto roads during peak volume times.

We must respectfully disagree with Darling, who told TT, “There is still a lot of misinformation out there” about the HOS rule. “We know from research and experience that a fatigued driver is a dangerous driver,” Darling said. “That’s why we remain concerned about attempts to increase, even temporarily, the number of maximum hours a truck driver could work from today’s 70-hour maximum.”

Nonetheless, as MC&E attendees will hear this week, there continues to be a belief that Congress might yet step in to pass a law that would suspend the restart changes for one year while a study takes place.

Darling also said he wants to further “raise the bar to enter the motor carrier industry, maintain high safety standards to remain in the industry, and remove high-risk carriers, drivers and service providers from operation.”

Those are noble goals that everyone can agree with.

So we encourage him to maintain an open dialogue with the industry to ensure that decisions that crack down on a few bad apples do not clamp down on the overwhelming majority of fleets that operate professionally and safely.