The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) just released the findings of its latest analysis of the operational and economic impacts resulting from the new Hours-of-Service (HOS) rules, which went into effect July 1. The study shows that the rule is creating significant problems for both truck drivers and the fleets that employ them.
The changes to the Hours-of-Service rules implemented by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) include provisions which limit use of the 34-hour restart and require a rest break before driving after eight hours on-duty. While FMCSA cited safety as a key reason for the HOS rule changes, many drivers say they are more fatigued under the new rules.
Among the operational and economic impacts identified by ATRI are:
*More than 80% of motor carriers surveyed have experienced a productivity loss since the new rules went into effect, with nearly half stating that they now need more drivers to haul the same amount of freight.
*Among commercial drivers surveyed by ATRI, 82.5% indicated that the new HOS rules have had a negative impact on their quality of life, with more than 66% indicating increased levels of fatigue.
*Commercial drivers are forced to drive in more congested time periods, although the FMCSA Regulatory Impact Analysis did not address increased safety risks with truck traffic diversion to peak hour traffic.
*The majority of drivers (67%) report decreases in pay since the rules took effect.
*The impacts on driver wages for all over-the-road drivers total $1.6 billion to $3.9 billion in annualized loss.
ATRI’s analysis is based on industry survey data of over 2,300 commercial drivers and 400 motor carriers as well a detailed analysis of logbook data representing 40,000+ commercial drivers.
“We anticipated significant impacts on our operations and across the entire supply chain from the new rules and our experience since July 1is bearing that out,” says Kevin Burch, president of Jet Express. “ATRI’s analysis clearly documents the productivity impacts and real financial costs being borne by carriers and drivers. It’s only a matter of time before these impacts ripple throughout the nation’s economy.”
A copy of this report is available from ATRI at www.atri-online.org.
