Two top Republicans in the U.S. called on the White House and the Dept. of Transportation to halt plans to reduce the number of hours truckers can drive.
House Speaker John Boehner, Ohio, and Majority Leader Eric Cantor have joined the chorus of motor carriers in the U.S. who want the Obama administration to abandon the upcoming hours-of-service revisions and to maintain the rule currently in place.
“The Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy has noted that the DOT’s proposed changes to the hours of service rules are not supported by existing safety and health data,” Boehner and Canter wrote in a letter to Obama, reiterating the view of the American Trucking Associations and shipping groups that the proposed changes will cut truck productivity and force carriers to put more, less experienced, drivers on the road.
Echoing the ATA, Boehner and Cantor noted that safety has improved steadily under the current rule.
The message follows a recent letter by Rep. John Mica, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, who warned the administration that the Committee will “aggressively” challenge any changes to the current rules.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is scheduled to post its final version of the new HoS rules on Oct. 28.
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