U.S. Department of Transportation
Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC www.dot.gov/affairs/briefing.htm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FMCSA 10-00
Thursday, July 6, 2000
Contact: Stanley Hamilton
Telephone: 202-366-0665
U.S. Department of
Transportation Holding Final Public Hearing on Hours of Service of
Drivers
The U.S. Department of
Transportation today and tomorrow in Washington, D.C. is holding the last of
eight public hearings for interested persons to present comments and views
concerning the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) proposed
revisions to its hours-of-service regulations.
The FMCSA is encouraging
all interested parties to submit comments to the public docket. The agency hopes
to hear from the public about how the proposed hours-of-service regulations
would improve motor carrier safety, affect the personal, professional, and
family life of truck and bus drivers, and the impact they would have on the
various segments of the motor carrier industry.
According to the FMCSA,
the proposed rule would prevent approximately 2,600 crashes, 115 fatalities, and
2,995 serious injuries annually. This rulemaking is part of FMSCA's safety
action plan which includes an overall stretch goal of reducing truck-related
fatalities by 50 percent by the year 2010. In 1999, there were 5,203
truck-related fatalities.
Hours-of-service rules for
commercial drivers date back to a 1937 Interstate Commerce Commission regulation
that saw its last major change in 1962. The current rule requires that drivers
take eight hours of rest after a maximum of 10 hours driving or 15 hours on
duty.
The final session will be
held on Thursday, July 6 and Friday, July 7, 2000, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The
hearing will be held at:
U.S. Department of
Transportation
400 Seventh St., S.W.,
Room 4200
Washington, D.C.
Written
comments on this proposal should be sent no later than Oct. 30, 2000 to the
USDOT Docket Facility, Attn: Docket FMCSA-97-2350, 400 Seventh St., S.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20590 or e-mail to Docket #2350.
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