U.S. Department of Transportation Holding Final Public Hearing on Hours of Service of Drivers

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
July 6, 2000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 6, 2000
Contact: Stanley Hamilton
Telephone: 202-366-0665
FMCSA 10-00

The U.S. Department of Transportation today and tomorrow in Washington, D.C. is holding the last of eight public hearings for interested persons to present comments and views concerning the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) proposed revisions to its hours-of-service regulations.

The FMCSA is encouraging all interested parties to submit comments to the public docket. The agency hopes to hear from the public about how the proposed hours-of-service regulations would improve motor carrier safety, affect the personal, professional, and family life of truck and bus drivers, and the impact they would have on the various segments of the motor carrier industry.

According to the FMCSA, the proposed rule would prevent approximately 2,600 crashes, 115 fatalities, and 2,995 serious injuries annually. This rulemaking is part of FMSCA’s safety action plan which includes an overall stretch goal of reducing truck-related fatalities by 50 percent by the year 2010. In 1999, there were 5,203 truck-related fatalities.

Hours-of-service rules for commercial drivers date back to a 1937 Interstate Commerce Commission regulation that saw its last major change in 1962. The current rule requires that drivers take eight hours of rest after a maximum of 10 hours driving or 15 hours on duty.

The final session will be held on Thursday, July 6 and Friday, July 7, 2000, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The hearing will be held at:

Written comments on this proposal should be sent no later than Oct. 30, 2000 to the USDOT Docket Facility, Attn: Docket FMCSA-97-2350, 400 Seventh St., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590 or e-mail to Docket #2350.