Truck Safety Coalition

Shippers ready to fight driver overtime pay bill in Congress

Truck with depiction of cash following on the road.

Legislation aimed at ensuring overtime pay for truckers is getting close scrutiny from a major shipper group that plans to fight hard against it if the bill starts to gain steam.

The Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act, introduced in April by Rep. Andy Levin, D-Mich., would repeal the motor carrier exemption in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), an exemption that excludes many drivers from overtime pay protections.

“Truck drivers across the country face brutal working conditions marked by...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/shippers-ready-to-fight-driver-overtime-pay-bill-in-congress

Truck crash deaths jump 13% to ‘crisis’ level

Truck on its side

Deaths in crashes involving trucks hit a “crisis” level and reversed a downward trend in place before the pandemic, according to federal regulators.

Based on preliminary data released Tuesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, total estimated fatalities in crashes involving at least one large truck (gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds) increased by 13% from 2020 to 2021, from 4,965 to 5,601. That compares with a roughly 1% decline between 2019 and 2021...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-crash-fatalities-jump-13-to-crisis-level

Feds fast-tracking controversial trucker pilot program

A long-awaited but controversial initiative that will allow young truck drivers to haul freight across state lines is seeking fast-track status from the White House.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has asked the Office of Management and Budget for review and emergency approval of a three-year apprenticeship program to allow carriers to employ drivers between the ages of 18 and 21 for hauling freight across state lines, according to a request filed Thursday.

Current regulations...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/feds-fast-tracking-controversial-trucker-pilot-program

Time to lift emergency hours-of-service waiver?

Livestock haulers want federal regulators to keep in place the 16-month-long emergency hours-of-service waiver for truck drivers and carriers until at least the end of August despite an economy that has largely reopened for business.

The first-of-its-kind, 50-state exemption was rolled out in March 2020 in response to a national emergency brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak. The waiver gives drivers more time to make deliveries without violating federal work-hour requirements. It has been...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/time-to-lift-emergency-hours-of-service-waiver

Congress starts down road to automatic braking mandate

Legislation introduced this week on Capitol Hill requiring automatic emergency braking (AEB) and lane-assist technology on all new trucks is being praised by safety advocates but rejected by small-business truckers.

The Protecting Roadside First Responders Act, introduced through companion bills in the House and Senate, is aimed at reducing roadside crashes involving distracted driving. It requires advanced driver assistance systems, including AEB, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist and...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/congress-starts-down-road-to-automatic-braking-mandate

Safety groups rail against HOS exemption for ag truckers

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and other truck safety groups have warned federal regulators that relaxing hours-of-service (HOS) rules for ag haulers threatens safety by exposing more drivers to fatigue.

In a petition for reconsideration filed in late December with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), CVSA stated that the interim final rule (IFR) issued by the agency in November that attempts to clarify the definitions of “agricultural commodity” “livestock”...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/safety-groups-rail-against-hos-exemption-for-ag-truckers

Truck safety groups caution against exemptions on hauling vaccines

Hours-of-service (HOS) waivers and other exemptions issued by regulators to help trucking companies expedite distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the coming months should include safeguards to protect truck drivers as well as other road users, truck safety groups have warned.

In a letter sent Wednesday to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation ahead of the committee’s hearing Thursday on vaccine transport logistics, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Truck Safety...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/truck-safety-groups-caution-against-exemptions-on-hauling-vaccines

Breaking News: Safety groups, Teamsters seek delay in HOS final rule

Four safety groups and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters filed a joint petition Tuesday with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to delay the hours-of-service (HOS) final rule scheduled to go into effect on Sept. 29.

The Teamsters, along with Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (AHAS), the Truck Safety Coalition, Parents Against Tired Truckers, and Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (known as CRASH) assert in their formal petition for reconsideration that the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/breaking-news-safety-groups-teamsters-seek-delay-in-hos-final-rule

Safety advocates considering HOS rules challenge

Two of the safety groups that have been most vocal in opposing the hours-of-service (HOS) changes since they were first proposed in 2018 were still considering on Thursday whether to challenge them immediately after they were rolled out in final form.

The public has 30 days to file a petition for reconsideration with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) after the final rule is published in the Federal Register.

“We’re still going through the [232 pages] with a fine-tooth comb,...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/safety-advocates-considering-hos-rules-challenge

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