TRUCKING NEWS:

Obama Administration Works to Keep Tired Truckers Off the Roads

            The Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) have agreed to abandon their defense of unsafe, longer working hour standards for truckers the Bush administration issued in 2003.  In a statement of a lawsuit brought by Public Citizen, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Truck Safety Coalition and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the agencies agreed to start a new round of rulemaking that hopefully will result in reduced hours of service for truckers.

            In March 2009, the four groups asked the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., to throw out the hours-of-service rule for the third time.  Twice before, in 2004 and 2007, the court vacated the rule on the grounds that the government did not adequately consider the effects of linger hours on traffic safety and driver health. Nevertheless, the Bush administration reissued the same rule each time. The rule dramatically expanded driving and working hours by allowing truck drivers to drive up to 11 consecutive hours (instead of ten) each shift and by cutting the off-duty rest and recovery time at the end of the week from a full weekend of 50 or more hours to as little as 34 hours. Frankly, from a safety perspective, that action is impossible to defend.

            As a result, the rule allowed truckers to spend up to 17 more hours driving each week than previously allowed, a more than 25% increase over the prior rule, despite strong evidence that the increased hours would lead to more traffic fatalities and serious consequences for driver health. The referenced settlement requires the government to draft a new proposed rule governing hours of service within nine months and to publish a final rule within 21 months.

Greg Beck, the Public Citizen lawyer handling the case, had this to say:
"We are pleased that the government has decided to take seriously its responsibility to protect truck drivers and the public from unsafe driving conditions instead of bending to the interests of the trucking industry."

Jackie Gillan, vice president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a group that works to enhance safety added:
"Every day, truck drivers fall asleep in their cabs, and all too frequently the results are catastrophic. Unfortunately, these incidents and crashes don’t garner the same government attention and action as airline pilot fatigue. The DOT needs to reform the hours-of-service rule for truck drivers because linger operating and working hours have serious health and safety consequences for workers and the public."

Daphne Izer, co-founder, of Parents Against Tired Truckers, whose son and three friends were killed in a 1993 crash caused by a tired trucker, observed:
"The good news is that there will be a new hours-of-service rule that hopefully will protect truck drivers and families like mine. The bad news is that the Obama administration nominee to lead the federal agency responsible for issuing this new rule is a trucking industry lobbyist. This nomination puts the trucking industry in the driver’s seat and will detour any meaningful and overdue reforms."

Joan Claybrook, former president of Public Citizen, who is now chair of the board of directors of Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways, had this to say:
"There is a reason that the truck driving profession is often referred to as “sweatshops on wheels”.  The Bush administration rule increasing truck driver hours of service was one of the worst anti-worker and anti-safety regulations issued these past eight years. It is time for the DOT to issue a rule that advances safety interests and not the economic interests of the industry."

            Jim Hoffa, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, said his group will continue to push for a rule that protects truck drivers instead of the greed of the trucking industry. He correctly observed that “longer hours behind the wheels are dangerous for our members and the driving public.”  Hopefully, we will now see even more changes in Washington that will make our highways safer for all citizens. That is certainly good news for all citizens.

            The Nacol Law Firm knows how to prepare a successful case for you or your loved one. Attorney Michael Nacol has successfully obtained multimillion dollar verdicts and settlements on behalf of trucking accident clients. Michael Nacol at the Nacol Law Firm has a long history of successfully handling trucking accident cases on behalf of people like you. From the time you hire our firm, through settlement or trial, we will treat you like family, fight for you against negligent truck drivers and trucking companies and make sure that you and your family are treated fairly and get full compensation for your loss.

Call the Nacol Law Firm today toll-free at 888-571-9165.