House T&I Committee to Hold HOS Regulations Hearing

On Tuesday, June 18th, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit will hold an oversight hearing on the impact the Department of Transportation's commercial driver hours-of-service regulations have on the transportation industry. The panel of witnesses will include; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Administrator Anne Ferro, representatives from the safety community and the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA). The hearing is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. and will be web cast on the Committee's website.

The effective date of the final rule was February 27, 2012, and the compliance date of selected provisions is July 1, 2013. FMCSA's new Hours of Service rule retains the current 11-hour daily driving limit. FMCSA states that they will continue to conduct data analysis and research to further examine any risks associated with retaining this limit. ATA filed a lawsuit against the FMCSA, but the court declined to stay the rules. ATA is assuming at this point that the new hours-of-service rules will go into effect on July 1, 2013.

This information came courtesy of the Transportation Intermediaries Association.