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Apr 12, 2011 2:52 PM

Responding to President Obama’s call to help reduce the regulatory burden on US businesses, the American Trucking Associations highlighted nine outdated, obsolete, or onerous rules that the US Department of Transportation should reconsider.

“The trucking industry understands the need for sensible regulations, particularly when it comes to safety,” said Bill Graves, ATA president and chief executive officer. “However, as this list demonstrates, we must constantly review those regulations to make sure they continue to make sense.”

In comments filed April 1, ATA pointed to a number of rules issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration as unnecessary or redundant. For example:

•The FMCSA requirement for drivers to notify their employer non-parking related traffic convictions, a requirement that is made moot by the proliferation of databases like the Commercial Driver License Information System.

•The now-expired exemption from hours-of-service rules for grape transporters in New York should be removed by FMCSA.

•The FMCSA requirement for motor carriers to ensure all vehicles be free of oil and gas leaks, a requirement that is impossible for carriers to comply with and is redundant because of other maintenance rules.

•A PHMSA rule requiring United Nations’ identification numbers on bulk containers holding residue from hazardous materials.

•PHMSA requirements for fleets to provide unnecessary and burdensome information when applying for a special permit to haul certain materials.

For more information and to see the full list, access www.truckline.com/AdvIssues/Documents/dotburdensomeregscomments040111.pdf.