LTL Interests Prefer To Stay With Old Rules

The Motor Freight Carriers Association said it would be better for the less-than-truckload sector to continue working under the current 63-year-old rules governing drivers than adopt the revisions to the hours of service proposed by the Department of Transportation.

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In comments submitted to the rulemaking docket, MFCA President Tim Lynch said that the 50,000 drivers who work for member LTL carriers continue to operate safely under the existing rules, which provide a degree of “stability and understanding” that the proposed rules do not.

These drivers have an out-of-service rate of less than 1%, compared with the industrywide average of more than 8% for hours violations. Also, more than 25% of these drivers have driven 1 million miles without an accident, said Lynch.

LTL drivers get sufficient rest to complete their runs, which are routinely over the same routes and take less than 10 hours of driving, he said.

For the full story, see the Jan. 1 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.