A key federal safety administrator testified last week about why a new rule is needed to cut down on trucking accidents caused by trucker fatigue.

On November 30, Anne Ferro, the head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, testified before Congress. She addressed the issue of the coming change in the rule that limits the number of hours truckers are allowed to drive in given segments of time.

This rule is known as the Hours of Service rule. It is an important rule because of the role it plays in preventing accidents caused by truck driver fatigue.

There are several aspects to the rule change, which FMCSA plans to finalize soon. One of the most significant changes calls for reducing the number of driving hours permitted in one day from 11 to 10.

"The goal of this rulemaking is to reduce excessively long work hours that increase both the risk of fatigue-related crashes and long-term health problems for drivers," said Ms. Ferro in written testimony submitted to Congress. "A rule cannot ensure that drivers will be rested," she added, "but it can ensure that they have enough time off to obtain adequate rest on a daily and weekly basis."

In other words, the government can't force truckers to rest. But it puts in place rules designed to give them a chance to do so.

Some people in the truck industry argue that the only change needed is to allow drivers to stop and rest without having that rest period count toward the limit of 14 hours of on-duty time in a day. But such a laissez faire approach would not really enable drivers to get the consistent rest they need in order to drive safety.

In short, there is good reason behind the new rule.

Source: "CRASH says New Safety Data Validates Need for New HOS Rule," Truckinginfo, 12-5-11