July 24, 2007

Federal Appeals Court Again Strikes Down Longer Hours-of-Service Rules for Truckers

Second Ruling Against Bush Administration’s Dangerous Regulations Will Help Keep Tired Truckers Off the Nation’s Highways

WASHINGTON, D.C.– A federal appeals court today struck down for the second time a Bush administration regulation that increased both the consecutive hours and the weekly hours that truck drivers are permitted to drive without rest. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit again sided with Public Citizen in its contention that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) hours-of-service rule for truckers, issued in Aug. 2005, could put motorists at risk. READ the entire press release.

June 20, 2007

Bush Administration Mexico-Domiciled Truck Pilot Program Endangers Safety, Disregards Federal Laws

U.S. DOT Flunks Safety Test as "Report Card" Spotlights Failing Grades; New Opinion Poll Shows Majority View Administration Plan as Dangerous

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Organizations representing highway and truck safety groups, labor, and independent truck drivers joined members of Congress today to criticize the Bush administration for ignoring federal safety laws concerning the implementation of a pilot program allowing trucks from Mexico to travel throughout the United States.   

To read the entire press release, click here.

As Trucking Rules Are Eased, a Debate on Safety Intensifies

December 3, 2006, Sunday. New York Times. Here are some of the highlights:

*In 1937, the first driving hour limits were set. Truckers were allowed to drive up to 10 continuous hours, but were required to rest for a minimum of 8 hours. The remaining six hours could be used for other work activities, like loading, or for breaks or meals. Truckers could drive up to 60 hours over 7 consecutive days, or 70 hours over 8 days. To enforce those rules, the government required drivers to keep logs.

*In 1999, Congress created the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in response to what lawmakers considered ineffectual regulation and high casualties. A year later, the agency proposed tighter service hour rules. They would allow long-haul drivers to work a maximum of 12 hours a day and require them to take 10-hour breaks between shifts. They also required installation of electronic devices to replace driver logs.

*In April 2003, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reversed gears and issued rules that increased the maximum driving hours to 77 from 60 over 7 consecutive days and to 88 hours from 70 over 8 consecutive days. The new rules capped daily work hours at 14, which included driving as well as waiting for loading and unloading. The Agency also decided not to require truck companies to install electronic monitoring devices.

*During the 2000 election cycle, trucking executives and political action committees gave more than $4.3 million in donations to the Republicans and less than $1 million to Democrats. From 2000 to 2006, the trucking industry directed more than $14 million in campaign contributions to Republicans.

*The trucking industry's donations and lobbying fees - about $37 million from 2000 to 2005 - led to rules that have saved what industry officials estimate are billions of dollars in expenses linked to tougher trucking regulations.

*The fatality rate for truck-related accidents remains nearly double that involving only cars (according to safety experts).

*The practice of falsifying truck driver hours is an open secret in the trucking industry; truckers routinely refer to their logs as “comic books.” Fines are small and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration does not have the staff to closely monitor 700,000 businesses and almost eight million trucks.

The article goes on to tell the story of a truck driver from Virginia who claims to have been taught to conceal excessive driving hours in his truck during his training last January by his former employer, Boyd Brothers Transportation of Birmingham, Alabama. The truck driver said his orientation instructor at Boyd Brothers told his class that government inspectors were allowed to examine a monthly logbook if it was bound, but taught the truck drivers a back door. If the staples were removed, the trucking log was considered “loose leaf” and inspectors could require an examination of only those pages from the most recent seven days.

To keep inspectors off the trail, the truck driver alleged that the drivers were told to use fuel credit cards that recorded only the date, not the time, of the fuel stop. He added that the trucking company he worked for pushed him to work longer hours than permitted, and that his logbooks were “adjusted” frequently to make it appear as if the truck driver was within the legal limits. He said he told a dispatcher several times he was too tired to make another trip but he was still ordered to do so after just a few hours sleep.

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