(Grain Valley, Mo., Oct. 27, 2009) – The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) believes that putting hours of service regulations up for a new rulemaking may mean opportunities for improvement, as long as changes are meaningful and include all aspects of driving that affect safety.

“There are things that could be improved upon in the current hours-of-service regulations that we’d like changed, but opening up the issue completely also runs the risk of seeing revisions made that do not affect safety even though they are more restrictive,” said Jim Johnston, OOIDA President.

Public Citizen, an organization that previously has fought for changes in current hours-of-service regulations, has agreed to suspend its legal challenge to the 34-hour restart and 11 hours of driving.  In exchange, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) agreed to send the hours-of-service regulations back through the regulatory process. FMCSA has promised to prepare a new notice of proposed rulemaking in nine months, and reach a final rule in 21 months. The current rule will stay in place during that process.

FMCSA officials say they will not propose a specific rule or conduct a rulemaking on just the 11 hours of driving and 34-hour restart provisions.

“This means an opportunity to bring up other hours-of-service issues that affect safety,” added Johnston. “To meaningfully improve highway safety, proposed changes would need to include all aspects of a truckers workday that affect the ability to drive safely. This includes loading and unloading times, split sleeper berth for team operations, and the ability to interrupt the 14-hour day for needed rest periods. Truckers need the flexibility to get rest when needed rather than more restrictive rules.”

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is the largest national trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers. The Association currently has more than 158,000 members nationwide. OOIDA was established in 1973 and is headquartered in the greater Kansas City, Mo., area.