New Bill Helps Clarify Controversial HOS Rule

In what’s being heralded as a “win” for the trucking industry, President Barack Obama signed a bill on Dec. 9 that clarifies a controversial hours-of-service rule. The bill, which also sidestepped a government shutdown, fixed a “glitch” that threatened the use of a 34-hour restart rule for truck drivers.

The new bill reverts to the old hours-of-service standards for truckers after a bill introduced in 2015, which was tied to a Department of Transportation study on the effectiveness of driver restart provisions, inadvertently added confusion to the rules.

The American Trucking Association lobbied for the so-called fix to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s HOS rule, saying the rule, as it was, didn’t make sense and threatened driver safety. Those opposed to the HOS rule argued that it could lead to a greater number of fatigued truckers on the roadways.

For more information on how telematics can help your fleet with hour-of-service compliance, check out ELDs: Your business beyond the mandate.