I loathe cliches, but cannot help myself when it comes to voicing my opinion about proposed changes to the hours of service (HOS) rules. So here it goes: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Last week republican leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee sent President Obama a strongly worded letter urging the White House not to change the current HOS rules, which have been in place since 2004 and are due for a revision on October 28.
There are many ways the final version could take shape, but most concerns center on the possibility of reducing drivers’ on-the-road time, which could include cutting drive time from 11 to 10 hours a day. Those in favor of changes cite safety concerns; those opposed cite the financial impact on our industry and the American economy at large.
Safety First
While many of my colleagues and I oppose a reduction in hours, we certainly are not adverse to safer highways and roads. I traverse our country’s roadways, as do my loved ones. However, data does not suggest the current rules compromise safety; in fact, since the current rules were put in place, our country has achieved unprecedented safety levels.
The American Trucking Association (ATA) says that since 2004
the truck-involved fatality rate has dropped by 36 percent – nearly twice as fast as the overall highway fatality rate. And here are the facts from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHA):
- Last year the U.S. traffic fatality rate fell to 1.09 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled – a new low in recorded history.
- It is estimated that in 2010 32,788 people were killed on U.S. roads – the fewest since 1949.
- The number of people killed in large truck crashes dropped 26 percent in 2009. The number of injuries in those accidents also dropped 26 percent.
The Cost of Change
Financially speaking, changes to the HOS rules are likely to result in less productivity for drivers and trucking companies, as well as additional administrative costs. These, of course, will translate into higher consumer costs. Upon assessing pending regulations, the White House said the proposed revisions could cost $1 billion.
Based on our current economic conditions, can we really afford to sustain such an impact?
Then there’s the traffic congestion and the impact on the environment. If daily driving hours are reduced, trucking companies would have to put more trucks and more drivers on the road just to deliver the same amount of freight. And won’t more traffic increase the likelihood of roadway accidents?
What Now?
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has been working on rule revisions for the past two years and the late October deadline looms large. The FMCSA hasn’t said that it will reduce the number of hours, but many see this as a real possibility considering the amount of pressure applied by groups like Public Citizen and the Teamsters union. These organizations have taken FMCSA to court time and time again until 2009 when the agency agreed to revisit the HOS rule.
Regardless of whether changes are made or not, the FMSCA is likely to get sued again – either by the ATA or Public Citizen – and it will probably be a while before the HOS debate is settled. Meanwhile, all of this back and forth is costing everyone time and money. In my opinion, it’s like tinkering with the assembly of a perfectly good bicycle. You know what they say: If it ain’t broke. . .