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Sep 1, 2003 12:00 PM

The United States Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has denied eight petitions for reconsideration from organizations that want the hours-of-service (HOS) final rule altered.

Published April 28, the new HOS final rule addresses the issue of driver fatigue and sets standards for driving and off-duty time. The previous rules had been in effect with few changes for more than 60 years.

“The new HOS rule strikes a balance between reasonableness, consistency, and enforceability, while improving safety and protecting all highway users,” FMCSA Administrator Annette M Sandberg said. “Recognizing that carriers, drivers, and law enforcement must prepare for the Jan 4, 2004, compliance date, we have denied the petitions in sufficient time to allow these groups to meet the compliance deadline.”

Petitions were in four categories: requests to allow off-duty time to extend the 14-hour on-duty limit; to exempt utility vehicles and workers from the HOS regulations; for miscellaneous changes, such as changing the definition of commercial motor vehicles; and to allow early compliance with the new HOS rules before the Jan 4, 2004, effective date.

This final HOS rule can be viewed online by searching for docket #FMCSA-97-2350 at http://dms.dot.gov/.