HOS * USA - FMCSA posts new HOS data, extends comment period and publication date for Final Rule

New studies before its work on the Final Rule

Washington,DC,USA -The Trucker, by Lyndon Finney -6 May 2011: -- The agency said since it is committed to receiving and analyzing all public comments on the studies before it completes its work on the Final Rule, the agency will extend the Final Rule publication date, which was set for July 26...   It appears everyone’s going to have to wait past July to see the Final Rule on the current proposed rulemaking for Hours of Service...  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said Friday morning it had placed four additional research studies in the official rulemaking docket and was reopening the comment period to allow for public review and discussion of these studies...  The four studies are:  The Impact of Driving, Non-Driving Work, and Rest Breaks on Driving Performance in Commercial Motor Vehicle Operations; Hours of Service and Driver Fatigue-Driver Characteristics Research; Analysis of the Relationship Between Operator Cumulative Driving Hours and Involvement in Preventable Collisions; and Potential Causes Of Driver Fatigue: A Study On Transit Bus Operators In Florida...  The American Trucking Associations, which has vehemently opposed the proposed new rulemaking, reacted quickly: "Given that DOT, according to a key sleep and health research, may have misused scientific data as part of this process, ATA will carefully review this new information. We hope and trust that FMCSA will give stakeholders adequate time to evaluate it” ... (Photo from gpssystems.net: Hours of service)