The battle over the proposed hours-of-service changes is heating up — and it was already pretty darn hot to begin with. While the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration continues to push for tighter HOS restrictions that it says will reduce driver fatigue, House Republican leaders back a trucking industry that insists the regulations will be a $1 billion burden and force more inexperienced drivers on the roads.
In a letter House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor sent to President Obama earlier this week, the Republican lawmakers urged FMCSA to withdraw the proposed changes.
“These costs will affect not only the trucking industry, but every business shipping and receiving goods,” wrote the pair. “Small businesses have already seen shipping costs rise as truckers have passed along the costs of higher gas prices additional shipping costs which will result from the rule change will further strain small businesses in an environment where weakened consumer demand has already put downward pressure on prices.”
On top of the political back-and-forth, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has yet to see the official HOS proposal for approval, despite the fact that FMCSA officials say the final rule is still set to be published before the end of the month.
Any predictions on how all this will be resolved?
Have a wonderful weekend!
