Cirillo: FHWA 'Ready to Move Forward' on Driver Hours Proposal

May 10, 1999 4:22 PM, EDT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The federal proposal for new driver hours of service could be ready for public review by July if the Department of Transportation chooses to go directly to rulemaking, according to top trucking officials of the Federal Highway Administration.

The decision whether to negotiate changes to the hours of service — which would take up to one year — could come within the next two weeks, one official said. But that kind of prediction in the past has often fallen short of the mark.

Either way, FHWA's draft proposal for new regulations "is ready to move forward," Julie Cirillo, head of the Office of Motor Carrier and Highway Safety, told roadside inspectors and industry representatives attending the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's spring workshop Monday.

And either way, Cirillo said, her goal is to have the revised hours finalized by the end of 2000 at the latest.

She also said her office is ready to go down either path: to the negotiating table or to the Federal Register. "We're not putting all our eggs in one basket," she said.

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