Senate OKs Fiscal ’17 Transportation Funding Bill With Trucking Provision
The Senate on May 19 voted 89-8 to pass a $56 billion transportation funding bill with a provision that would cap at 73 the allowable hours per week truckers could work before being required to take a rest break.
The Senate bill also includes technical language having to do with an hours-of-service restart rule in the fiscal 2016 funding law.
After the vote, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the bill’s sponsor, said the measure provides “critical investments” for infrastructure projects.
Last week, the White House had threatened to veto the bill if senators attached unrelated provisions.
The Senate bill would provide funds for myriad DOT programs, such as infrastructure grants, Amtrak and the network of pipelines.
American Trucking Associations called on Congress to advance to President Obama’s desk legislation that would maintain the current hours-of-service restart rule at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
“We have said since the broad framework of the current hours-of-service rules went into effect in 2004 — complying with these rules improves safety,” ATA President Bill Graves said.
