Teamsters, Safety Groups Press Obama on HOS Changes

Highway safety advocates and the Teamsters union have written to President Obama asking him to “expeditiously more forward” on the new hours of service rule proposed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

The Oct. 7 letter said the proposed reduction in driver hours “addresses a serious and deadly public health and safety problem” in trucking.

The groups’ letter cited studies by the National Transportation Safety Board and other research groups, including the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which show driver fatigue is a major factor in truck crashes.

Those signing the letter to Obama included Teamsters president James Hoffa and Joan Claybrook, chairwoman of Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways.

The letter follows moves by House Republican leaders asking the Obama administration not to tinker with existing hours-of-service rules.

Dave Osiecki, who directs policy and regulatory affairs for American Trucking Associations, said calls to change current HOS rules are “illogical” and without sound or scientific basis.

The framework for the current HOS rules has been in place eight years “without any evidence” to suggest they have created a safety problem and during that period “truck safety has improved to record levels,” Osiecki said.