FMCSA Responses to Questions Posed at Hours-of-Service Public
Hearings:
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The U.S.
Department of Transportation Announces Proposal to Improve Highway
Safety By Ensuring Truck Drivers Get Adequate Rest
On April 25, 2000, the U.S Department of Transportation proposed
a revised rule for motor carriers that is designed to improve
highway safety by ensuring that drivers of large trucks and buses
get adequate rest. Below is more detailed information on the proposed
revised rule, including background on the issue.
Hours
of Service Convenor's Report 1999: PDF
(577Kb) or
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Hours-of-Service
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Background and Synopsis
There is general consensus that modifications to current
hours-of-service (HOS) regulations would substantially improve
commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety by reducing the fatigue
factor in CMV-involved crashes. There is evidence that many crashes
occur as a result of CMV driver error, that driver error is often
the result of inattention, that inattention can often be the result
of fatigue, that the fatigue which causes inattention is often
related to sleep deprivation, and that sleep deprivation is often
related to working conditions of drivers. The latest Federal Motor
Carrier Safety Regulations, including proposed rules are posted
on the Rulemakings
Page (updated 8/21/00).
The
Science-Based Case for Sleep
The hours-of-service proposed rule is based on a large
body of sound research dealing with work, fatigue, alertness,
sleep cycles and related matters. The FMCSA reviewed nearly 150
research studies and other documents, many of which were submitted
or referred to by docket commenters. Many of the reviewed documents
reported on research conducted on motor carriers and CMV drivers.
Others, such as studies on shiftwork, sleep and performance, and
the physiological nature of sleep, were relevant to the issue
of CMV driver safety.
U.S.
DOT Determined to Move Hours-of-Service Regulation Forward, Will Extend Time for Public Comment
In a letter yesterday to U.S. Sen. Richard C. Shelby, Chairman of
the Senate Subcommittee on Transportation, U.S Department of Transportation's
Secretary strongly opposedthe idea of adding to the pending DOT
appropriations bill a provision that would prohibit the Department’s
new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) from acting
on comments on its proposed hours-of-service rulemaking. More...
FMCSA Jurisdiction
to Regulate the Qualifications and Maximum Hours of Service of
CMV Drivers (4-month rule): PDF
(13 Kb) or HTML
Policy memorandum explaining when the agency will exercise
jurisdiction over interstate operations of motor carriers and
drivers that sometimes operate in interstate commerce.
Notice
of Proposed Rulemaking: PDF
(567Kb) or HTML
- The FMCSA is proposing to revise its hours-of-service (HOS)
regulations to require motor carriers to provide drivers with
better opportunities to obtain sleep, and thereby reduce the risk
of drivers operating commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) while
drowsy, tired, or fatigued to reduce crashes involving these drivers.
Preliminary
Regulatory Evaluation and Regulatory Flexibility Act Analysis:
PDF (1.0Mb) or HTML
- Hours-of-Service NPRM.
Correction
In the May
2, 2000, Hours of Service of Drivers NPRM (65 FR 25540) on page
25596 in the bottom right hand corner, the last paragraph has
incorrect cost and benefit figures. The paragraph should
read as follows:
The FMCSA
estimates that the hours of rest and service of drivers rule
will cost the public approximately $3.4 billion over 10 years.
The cost applies not only to motor carriers subject to the FMCSRs,
but also to motor carriers subject to compatible state HOS laws
and regulations. The FMCSA proposes to require States to adopt
compatible state HOS laws and regulations to be eligible for
MCSAP grant-in-aid type program funds under 49 CFR part 350.
The agency estimates that the 10-year discounted monetary value
of the benefits (fatalities and injuries prevented, property
damage savings) is $6.8 billion.
The FMCSA
regrets this error was not caught before publication in the Federal
Register.
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