ATA Issues Statement on HOS Decision
I>American Trucking Associations issued the following special notice to members on Friday afternoon concerning the court action on the new hours-of-service rules for truck drivers:
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a decision today vacating (throwing out) the new Hours-of-Service (“HOS”) rules put into place by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA") in January 2004.
Importantly, the Court’s decision is not immediately effective. Under the Court’s rules, FMCSA has 45 days to seek a rehearing and until that time period runs (possibly extended to 52 days or until the Court’s official opinion [“mandate”] is issued), the decision does not take effect.
The D.C. Circuit’s decision to vacate was based upon the Court’s view that FMCSA had not fulfilled a statutory mandate to consider “the impact of the rule on the health of drivers.” The Court explained that FMCSA may conclude that the new rules do not cause driver health problems or that any such problems are outweighed by other factors (cost issues, etc.), but that it was incumbent upon the agency to affirmatively address those issues and explain its conclusions.
The agency’s failure to expressly consider driver health consequences seems more of a technicality than a significant flaw in the rules. It is hoped that the agency will be able to readily show that the fatigue-reducing measures in the new rules will also have a beneficial effect on driver health.
The Court also expressed “concerns” with other aspects of the new HOS rules, but specifically refused to enter a “final decision” as to the validity of those provisions. Instead, the Court outlined the concerns it had with each provision, explaining specifically its problem with FMCSA’s reasoning, justification, or scientific support for various elements of the new rules.
The Court raised these types of concerns with respect to the increase of driving time from 10 to 11 hours, retention of the sleeper-berth exception to uninterrupted rest periods; the failure to mandate electronic on-board recorders; and the 34-hour restart provision. The Court’s discussion of its concerns and how those concerns could be alleviated by the agency, should provide FMCSA a roadmap for developing better justifications for the choices it made.
A number of possible procedural alternatives are open to the FMCSA for correcting the deficiencies outlined by the Court. ATA will encourage the agency to attempt to keep the new HOS rules in place beyond the initial 45 to 52 day period while it is reconsidering the HOS rules and the rationale for changes it made in the new rules.
ATA believes that switching back and forth between the old and new rules would be confusing to the point of adversely affecting highway safety. ATA will keep the industry informed about future developments regarding FMCSA’s handling of this matter.
In the meantime, a hearing before a subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee regarding how the new HOS rules are impacting highway safety that was scheduled for July 20, 2004 has been postponed indefinitely.
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