The 15-year effort to reduce highway facilities due to drowsy long-haul drivers has been threatened by another proposition that could reduce the current cap on truckers' weekly work hours. An amendment passed today in the Senate Appropriations Committee would seek to postpone the main federal regulation that would require truck drivers to take an extended break from driving.
Kevin Kelly, a spokesman for Senator Susan Collins, said that the suspension would restore the industry's workweek at 85 hours, and will also force the Transportation Department to address some of the fallouts of the regulation. Collins is the Main Republican who had sponsored the amendment.
Bloomberg said that the postponement could be a piece of good news for majority od the trucking industry, as the required rest breaks at night has allegedly forced more drivers on the road during the daytime, especially on times when traffic is more congested.
Kelly added, "What has become clear during the past 11 months is that the new federal rules have presented some unintended consequences that may not be in the best interest of public safety, truck drivers and the businesses and customers who depend on their services."
The workweek cap and other trucking regulations were reportedly in effect after over 15 years of legal wrangling over sleep science, the role of truckers' fatigue in vehicular crashes, and how the costs of hiring additional drivers to deliver goods would have an effect on the economy.
In an interview, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration head Anne Ferro said, "At the heart of this rule is an expectation to minimize the risk when tired drivers are behind the wheel of an 80,000 pound truck. The hours are exceedingly long."
Bloomberg said that the Senate amendment would be attached to a broad transportation funding bill tat would require a full Senate vote, which would later be reconciled with the appropriations legislation in the House of Representatives.
