Latest Hours Hearing Draws Diverse Responses

The diverse views on proposed changes to the hours of service regulations for U.S. truckers were heard July 6 at the start of the last of eight public hearings on the controversial proposal.

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Several organizations, including American Trucking Associations, urged the Department of Transportation to scrap the proposal to limit drivers to 12 hours of work. Representatives of less than truckload carriers said they would like the 63-year-old rules to remain relatively unchanged while the American Automobile Association endorsed DOT's proposal.

The July 6-7 hearing at DOT's headquarters in Washington, D.C., feature more shipper representatives than had shown up at previous hearings over the past five weeks. Several fleet safety directors also testified during the initial hours of the hearing and several others were scheduled to testify later in the two-day period.

Other groups, such as the Owner Operator-Independent Drivers Association , Ready Mixed Concrete Association and Food Distributors International are developing alternative proposals they plan to submit to DOT before the comment period closes Oct. 30.

Numerous witnesses expressed concern about the complexity of DOT's proposal to place drivers in five separate classifications, requiring most of them to work a maximum 14-hour day, including two hours of break time and a maximum 12 hours behind the wheel.

For the full story, see the July 3 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.