The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) recently petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to amend federal hours-of-service regulations.
Current regulations are inflexible, complex and one-size-fits-all for drivers, OOIDA said.
The petition requests truck drivers be permitted one rest break per 14-hour shift for up to three consecutive hours. Before the start of the next work shift, drivers would still need to log 10 consecutive off-duty hours.
The changes address the issue of drivers being at the mercy of their employers and others for scheduling, OOIDA said.
Regulations “force drivers to be on the road when they are tired or fatigued, during busy travel times and adverse weather and road conditions, or when they simply aren’t feeling well,” Todd Spencer, acting president and CEO of OOIDA, said. “We are in a situation where we have never had more regulations and greater enforcement and compliance with those regulations. Yet, crash numbers are going in the wrong direction, it’s time for a new approach.”
OOIDA also petitioned for the elimination of the existing 30-minute rest break requirement. The break forces drivers to stop when it isn’t necessary, OOIDA said, and this can be as unsafe as it is impractical.