Comments have been filed on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking by the Owner operator Independent Drivers Association. The comments are regarding the hours of service regulations.
According to OOIDA, the current regs are too complex providing little of no flexibility and don’t really reflect the physical capabilities or limitations or other limitations of the individual drivers.
The association’s comments also state that the current regulations effectively force drivers to be on the road when they’re fatigued, during busy travel times and in adverse weather and road conditions.
Todd Spencer, president of the OOIDA had several comments stating that “Today’s truckers have never faced more regulations or greater enforcement and compliance with those regulations. Yet, crash numbers are going in the wrong direction,” and that
the comments from Todd Spencer, president of OOIDA, state. “A solution to reverse this trend is to give drivers more control over their own schedules.” “A solution to reverse this trend is to give drivers more control over their own schedules.”
The comments initiated by the OOIDA recommend eliminating the 30-minute rest break and allowing drivers to take rest breaks once per 14-hour duty period for up to three consecutive hours as long as the driver is off duty. The association also recommends expanding split-sleeper berth flexibility and updating the definition of the “adverse conditions” exception and applying it to the 14-hour clock. OOIDA reported that it based the comments on feedback from its members who responded to an online survey.
Spencer further commented that “Small-business truckers are the safest and most diverse operators on the road,” “yet, for far too long, the federal government has failed to grasp the importance of this diversity and continues to burden the trucking industry with a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach that punishes small businesses, stifles competition, and over-regulates an industry deregulated by design.”
The changes that have been suggested by the OOIDA are aimed at improving highway safety, driving economic growth, and creating new job opportunities.
