The American Trucking Associations (ATA) is pleased that the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has denied Public Citizen's motion to vacate the interim regulations adopted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) governing truck driver work and rest, known as hours-of-service (HOS) regulations.
ATA said the ruling confirms its view that the court's prior concerns with the 11-hour daily drive-time limit and 34-hour restart provisions of the HOS rules were only procedural in nature and that the court does not view those provisions as inherently unsafe.
"Government and industry safety data clearly indicate that the current rules are working in terms of driver health, truck safety, and overall highway safety," said ATA President Bill Graves. "The rules have been in force for four years and safety has improved over this time period."
The current regulations, which are part of an Interim Final Rule, will stay in place while FMCSA collects additional safety data, secures comments from interested parties, and subjects its scientific analyses to peer review. ATA is working with its members to provide additional information to the agency regarding motor carriers' safety experiences under the 11- and 34-hour provisions.
The interim rule's retention of the 11- and 34-hour provisions prevents the massive confusion and disruption to trucking operations and law enforcement that would have taken place had those provisions been eliminated, even for an interim period, ATA said.