Safety Coalition wants HOS driving time reduced by 27%

Under the heading Daily Shift Total Work Time Maximum, the document reads: “12-hour work shift; eight hours of driving and four hours of other work and/or rest breaks as the driver chooses.” (Photo: The Trucker/BARB KAMPBELL)

The Trucker Staff

6/22/2010

WASHINGTON — Daily driving time under a new Hours of Service rule should be reduced by 27 percent, a document filed by a group of safety advocates reveals.

The document, filed by Henry Jasny on behalf of the Truck Safety Coalition, Public Citizen and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, was posted last week on the www.regulations.gov and is one of over 300 documents related to the new rule.

Under the heading Daily Shift Drive Time Maximum, the document reads: “[There should be] No more than eight consecutive hours of driving per shift, based on extensive research findings that show dramatic increase in relative risk of crashes after eight consecutive hours of driving.”

Under the heading Daily Shift Total Work Time Maximum, the document reads: “12-hour work shift; eight hours of driving and four hours of other work and/or rest breaks as the driver chooses.”

The document lists basic safety parameters for a new rule:

• 24 hour-circadian schedule

• Lower daily driving and work time limits

• Lower weekly driving and work time maximums

• Increased daily off-duty time, including in sleeper berths

• Increased end-of-week rest time

• Recognition of safety hazards of night-time driving, and

• Universal electronic on-board recorder (EOBR) equipment.

The coalition said it wants to see a maximum of 40 driving hours in a seven-day period and a maximum of 60 hours of work time in a seven-day period.

It wants to see a minimum 48-hour, off-duty layover before starting another tour of duty.

An agreement by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to “review and reconsider the 2008 rule” is the basis for a settlement of the most recent lawsuit against HOS brought by the safety coalition and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Within the agreement, FMCSA said it would submit the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to the Office of Management and Budget for review nine months from the date of the settlement (Oct. 26) and would publish a final rule within 21 months of the date of settlement.

The Trucker staff can be reached to comment on this article at editor@thetrucker.com