Truck Safety * USA - Push unites police, labor and crash survivors

Washington,DC,USA -Star Telegram, by Maria Recio -May. 22, 2011:  ...  A somewhat unlikely ally joined longtime consumer activist, Joan Claybrook, one of the coalition's leaders: Teamsters President, James Hoffa, who represents truck drivers. Hoffa called on the Obama administration to issue tougher regulations on driving hours and for Congress to pass a bill, the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Protection Act, that would outlaw larger, heavier trucks... The bill was introduced last month in the House by Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., and in the Senate this month by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J... Hoffa said his efforts were prompted by his members -- more than 600,000 of the 1.4 million Teamsters are drivers -- and the need to promote safety... The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is in the final stages of two related rules: to limit service to 10 consecutive hours and to require trucks to convert to electronic on-board recorders to keep tabs on hours driven continuously. The Truck Safety Coalition is pushing for quick approval of the rules, while the trucking industry supports the on-board recorders but not changing the driving limits...