Public Citizen Sues Again Over HOS Rules

Safety advocates have again gone to court to try to block the Department of Transportation’s rule on truck driver hours of service, news reports said.

In court documents filed Thursday with the U.S. Court of Appeals, lawyers for a coalition of groups, including Public Citizen and Parents Against Tired Truckers, asked the court to immediately enforce an order striking down the HOS rule, CNN reported.

The groups, citing the risk of driver fatigue, have twice persuaded a federal court to reject implementation of the extended hours, CNN said on its Web site.

DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration this month codified the rules largely as previously written, allowing drivers 11 hours behind the wheel daily and letting them reset their weekly limit after a 34-hour break.

American Trucking Associations testified Wednesday before a Senate panel in support of the rule, while Public Citizen and others testified it needs to be strengthened.

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