Plan Inspires Sharp Criticism

Proposed hours-of-service rules from the Department of Transportation sustained serious injuries after being broadsided and then sideswiped by both irate safety advocates and disgruntled truckers.

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Both parties are dissatisfied with the federal proposal and gave the attempt at regulatory reform scant chance of surviving. Safety critics said truckers will be able to drive more hours and that will cause more accidents. Trucking said tighter restrictions will force the industry to hire more drivers, raising costs for everyone.

When asked to estimate the odds of the rules actually going into effect, one observer was very pessimistic. The chances are “Slim and None, and Slim packed his suitcase last night and left town,” said Gerald A. Donaldson, senior research director of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

DOT proposal unveiled April 25 classifies drivers into five categories, extends their driving hours from 10 to 12 in a 24-hour cycle, and orders trucking to buy on-board electronic logging devices for long-haul and regional drivers who do not report to their home base daily.

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