Court Overrules Bush Admin. on Truck Drivers' Hours

[babylonsister]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/25/washington/25truck.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=washington&adxnnlx=1185369190-lRsnKEjLkytRQha+Il9uig&oref=slogin

Court Voids Higher Limits on Truckers’ Hours


By STEPHEN LABATON
Published: July 25, 2007

WASHINGTON, July 24 — A federal appeals court on Tuesday struck down a Bush administration rule that loosened limits on the work hours of truck drivers, concluding that officials had failed to offer adequate justification for the changes.

In a unanimous decision, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the federal agency that oversees the trucking industry had not provided enough evidence to demonstrate the safety of its 2005 decision to increase the maximum driving hours of truck drivers. The hours were increased to 77 from 60 over 7 consecutive days, and to 88 hours from 70 over 8 days.

The court found that the agency, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, had ignored the results of a study, which it had commissioned, involving a database of more than 50,000 truck accidents from 1991 to 2002. Using the data, the study extrapolated a substantially higher risk of fatigue-related accidents in the extra hours of service allowed by the new rules.

The agency, part of the Transportation Department, “failed to provide an adequate explanation for its decision to adopt the 11-hour daily driving limit,” the court said.

The new rules had been adopted after heavy lobbying by politically influential leaders of the trucking industrywere part of a broader strategy by the Bush administration to reduce regulations on businesses.

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[sinkingfeeling]

1. Good!!

[soothsayer]

2. very good! safer for all.

[cynatnite]

3. I hope this means they'll be switching back soon...

my hubby despises these new hours.

[NMDemDist2]

6. mine too! n/t

[Kagemusha]

4. Good.

I expected the courts to strike this down eventually and it is good that they have.

[RB TexLa]

5. And the drivers actually follow the rules

Very funny.

:rofl:

[AngryAmish]

7. OK, I have heard good things about the old and new hours

What is the deal?

[cynatnite]

8. It means longer driving times for drivers n/t

[1monster]

10. The big deal is that 77 hours in seven days and 88 hours over eight day is eleven hours a day.

When the dinosaurs of the road (BIG RIGS) have accidents, people die.

Driving eleven hours a day would tend to cause accidents even if one is not driving a big rig.

And having to drive that many hours also tends to lead drivers into using stimulents to stay awake, and those stimulents are not always caffeine.

Aside from which, if legally allowed to force their drivers to drive eleven hours a day over eight days, do you honestly think that many won't?

How would you like it if your boss told you that you had to work elevn hour days for eight days straight and then have one or two days off before doing the same again?

[cynatnite]

11. My hubby said it was getting less sleep that caused him the most problems...

Fortunately, no accidents, yet. (knock on wood)

And yeah, many drivers will do it in order to get their loads delivered on time. I can't count the times the dispatcher has called and told my hubby that he needs to driver 800 miles in 24 hours. He agreed once because of a big bonus, but won't do it again. He said he damn near fell asleep at the wheel.

I hope the old rules are reinstated soon.

[blondeatlast]

9. Good! nt