As it has with trucking rules, the federal government has tightened hours-of-service rules for airline pilots, while exempting air cargo pilots.

The Department of Transportation released its final hours-of-service rule Thursday, holding truck drivers’ daily driving limit at 11 hours while setting restrictions on drivers’ weekly hours.

Trucking and shippers groups reacted swiftly and negatively to the Department of Transportation’s final hours-of-service rule, citing the potential for more congestion and saying it will not improve highway safety.

Motor carriers spent all of 2011 waiting for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to announce its latest hours-of-service rule.

WASHINGTON — A proposed hours-of-service rule that would cut truck drivers’ hours would be very costly and exacerbate a shortage of truck drivers, while putting more trucks on the road, a panel of trucking and logistics executives told a House panel Wednesday.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration expects to complete work on a final hours-of-service rule within the next 30 days, according to a joint report of the agency and plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit.

The good news is that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration missed the court-imposed deadline for submitting its latest iteration of the hours-of-service rule to govern commercial drivers.

The Department of Transportation advanced its hours-of-service rule revision to the White House Office of Management and Budget last week, the final procedural step before the public gets a first glimpse of the new regulation.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said it will not meet Friday’s court settlement deadline to issue its final hours-of-service rule.

American Trucking Associations cited concern with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s recent letter to Congress that DOT is drafting a new hours-of-service proposal based on the “most comprehensive and up-to-date data and analysis.”