Hours-of-Service Rule Not in Highway Bill

he Senate's $295 billion highway funding bill did not include a provision making the current driver hours-of-service rule permanent. That means including the HOS rule in the final bill is unlikely, but not impossible, according to congressional staff and observers.

"It can be discussed [in conference]," said Senate Environment and Public Works Committee spokesman Will Hart, "but it’s often very difficult to get something that is not in the bill inserted during conference."

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has been pushing to get its embattled driver-hours rule written into law since February, but neither the House nor Senate approved amendments to do it.