FMCSA Proposes Driver Coercion Rule
Federal regulators issued a proposed rule May 13 that would prohibit motor carriers, shippers, receivers or transportation intermediaries from coercing drivers to violate hours-of-service limits, drug and alcohol testing or hazardous materials rules, and other regulations that could jeopardize safety.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration proposal includes procedures for drivers to report incidents of coercion to the agency and describes penalties that may be imposed on entities found to have coerced drivers.
“Economic pressure in the motor carrier industry affects commercial drivers in ways that can affect safety adversely,” the proposal said. “For years, drivers have voiced concerns that other parties in the logistics chain are frequently indifferent to the operational limits imposed on them by the federal regulations.”
The agency said that drivers who object to violating the rules are sometimes told to “get the job done despite the restrictions imposed by the safety regulations.”
“The consequences of their refusal to do so are either stated explicitly or implied in unmistakable terms: Loss of a job, denial of subsequent loads, reduced payment, denied access to the best trips, etc.,” the agency said.
FMCSA is accepting public comments on the rule for 90 days, through Aug. 11. Click here to comment or view the rule. (U.S. government website.)
