FMCSA Issues Final Rule on Truckers’ Hours of Service

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced Dec. 22 a final rule revising the hours-of-service safety requirements for commercial truck drivers. It reduces by 12 hours the maximum number of hours a truck driver can work within a week.Under the old regulations, truck drivers could work on average up to 82 hours within a seven-day period. The new rule limits a driver’s work week to 70 hours. But after originally proposing lowering the daily driver time limit to 10 hours, FMCSA decided to maintain the previous 11-hour daily maximum.

“Trucking is a difficult job, and a big rig can be deadly when a driver is tired and overworked,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. “This final rule will help prevent fatigue-related truck crashes and save lives. Truck drivers deserve a work environment that allows them to perform their jobs safely.”

Organizations representing trucking companies and truck drivers reacted negatively to the new regulations. The American Trucking Associations called them “unjustified” and predicted they will do nothing to improve highway safety, but could instead increase the risk of truck-involved crashes.

“From the beginning of this process in October 2009, the agency set itself on a course to fix a rule that’s not only not broken, but by all objective accounts is working to improve highway safety,” ATA President and CEO Bill Graves said in a statement.

As part of the rulemaking process, FMCSA held six public listening sessions across the country and encouraged safety advocates, drivers, truck company owners, law enforcement, and the public to share their input on hours-of-service requirements.

“This final rule is the culmination of the most extensive and transparent public outreach effort in our agency’s history,” FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro said in a statement. “With robust input from all areas of the trucking community, coupled with the latest scientific research, we carefully crafted a rule acknowledging that when truckers are rested, alert and focused on safety, it makes our roadways safer.”

The new rule will ban truck drivers from working longer than eight hours without first taking a break of at least 30 minutes.

“The changes are unnecessary and unwelcome, and will result in no significant safety gains,” Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association Executive Vice President Todd Spencer said in a statement.

Commercial truck drivers and companies must comply with the new rules by July 1, 2013. More information is available from FMCSA at www.fmcsa.dot.gov/HOSFinalRule.