The number of hours a truck driver in interstate commerce can drive is governed by the federal hours of service regulations. The comment period on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s interim rule on the hours-of-service regulation will end on Feb. 15. The interim rule went into effect on Dec. 27. It permits 11 hours of driving with an optional 34-hour restart provision.
The interim rule replaced one that was rejected by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. On July 16, the court tossed out a similar rule that would have increased driving time from ten hours to eleven hours with an optional 34-hour restart provision.
The latest proposed rule should also be rejected. Several studies have shown that trucking accidents spike between the tenth and eleventh hours of driving. Tired drivers are a major cause of trucking accidents in this country. Instead of protecting the public, this rule serves only to lengthen the driving day so that that trucking companies can make more money. Unfortunately, it is the innocent motorist involved in a truck-car collision who will wind up paying the highest price.
