KatieDremel

trucking companies accustomed to letting Drivers haul goods all night may face federal restrictions that would curb the practice and might add almost $2 billion to the industry's annual operating costs.

The rules, which a Transportation Department agency proposed Dec. 23 may cut an hour of driving time per day for the nation's 1.6 million long-haul truck Drivers.
Truck Drivers could also be required to take breaks after driving seven hours strait and also might also see the consecutive days they work cut dramatically as well.

Many groups have come forth to challenge this proposed law. The American trucking Association (ATA) has announced it may challenge the legislation as currently being considered.

The proposed legislation could add close to Two Billion to the operating expenses of major carriers, owner operators, and truck Drivers. The freight carriers that could feel this impact the hardest would be the over the road and long haul truck Drivers, which typically move freight shipments from direct point to direct point.

The trucking association puts the cost at $2.2 billion a year, citing a 2007 analysis by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the agency that proposed the changes. The agency is required to publish a final rule by July 26.

Many experts believe that truck driver driving time could be reduced by as much as five percent if the new regulation is enacted.

Experts have given an estimate of $1 billion for the annual cost to the industry, which it said was one-half of 1 percent of its annual revenue. That estimate was lower than the 2007 one because analysts used "better data" about driver work patterns, the number of Drivers affected and economic assumptions including inflation, said Duane DeBruyne, a spokesman for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

A fatigued driver has no place behind the wheel of a large commercial truck Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood during an announcement pertaining to the proposed legislation. Lahood went on to say that the FMCSA is committed to an hours-of-service rule that can aid create an environment where commercial truck Drivers are rested, alert and also focused on safety even though driving.

The increased costs may end up being passed on to consumers of goods that are shipped by truck, ranging from toilet paper to produce to car parts, the trucking regulator said in its new proposed rule.

Small trucking businesses may be disproportionately affected given the nature of an industry where 70 percent of companies have five or fewer trucks.

Most truck Drivers rely on their dispatch teams to set everyone's driving schedule. Truck Drivers work around everyone else's schedules to make deliveries. If a driver is unloading and he's half unloaded when the 13-hour time limit comes up, the driver doesn't have the option of shutting the doors and saying 'Well, now I'm going to take my break.' Drivers are essentially in a difficult situation.

This most current regulation is just one the recent pushes by the FMCSA to enact laws aimed at safety but which have complete disregard for the tremendous impact these brand-new restrictions can have on the industry.