WASHINGTON -- In five separate filings, law enforcement, shipping and trucking interests have come forward to support the American Trucking Associations' request that the effect of the U.S. Court of Appeals' hours of service (HOS) decision be stayed pending the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) reconsideration of the 11 and 34 hour provisions.
Several organizations have explained to the court the disruptions to the industry that would be caused by a transition to different HOS rules or the standard reverting back to 10 hours a day.
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), which represents law enforcement officials in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, noted that a sudden change to the HOS rules would lead to a patchwork of state requirements that would undermine safety enforcement and not allow sufficient time to train law enforcement personnel on a new regulatory regime. "Thousands of law enforcement officers will need to be retrained, which cannot be completed quickly or easily," CVSA concluded. The National Industrial Transportation League and the Retail Industry Leaders Association joined in a filing that further described the impact to the nation's shipping community and described the positive safety experience private shippers have had under the current HOS rules.
