A new development in the Hours of Service rule is underway. A study has been called by Congress to look into a related ruling that was passed in 2013. The questions that are being studied include any safety aspects, health of the driver, and the possibility of fatigue. At the conclusion to this study, then the ruling will go back into effect. Depending on the outcome of the study, there may or may not be any changes which will need to occur before this is reinstated.
What this means to moving businesses who use drivers on a daily basis is the suspension of part of the hours of service rule, which means it will not to be enforced. This is not going to be a long-term suspension, it is a temporary suspension of this ruling to allow for an in-depth study of the current system. This is to ensure that any ruling is beneficial not only to the companies but to the general population, preventing the potential of accidents.
The main area that the study hopes to address is the drivers 34-hour restart, currently it only allows for two 1 – 5 a.m. starting periods per week, with the restart restricted to just once per week.
The FMCSA, or the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, currently overseas the enforcement of such policies. With this suspension, it gives the FMCSA the time it needs to participate in the study to ensure that the needs of the drivers are protected as well as the general public.
This change and the review of the procedure has come about due to an amendment in the spending bill by Senator Susan Collins. Along with the suspension of the hours-of-service rules, the amendment also asks the U.S Department of Transportation to carry out a study of the current regulations and the previous regulations to see which gives the greater benefit.
As a moving business, be sure to keep up to date with the potential changes Congress may have in store for the future.
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