Regulations

House Democrats are requesting what they call a “comprehensive review” of the final HOS rule governing as many as 3.5 million long-haul truck drivers. Those long-haul drivers, mostly in the $340 billion truckload sector, would stand to gain some efficiencies from four major changes in HOS rules recently announced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Those changes are:

FMCSA Acting Administrator Jim Mullen explained that this ruling is the result of listening to all industry stakeholders, including the motor carrier industry, truckers, safety advocates, law enforcement, and state partners.

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) rolled out multiple decisions related to railroad demurrage and accessorial rules and charges, with multiple takeaways for rail carriers and shipper, including promoting transparency, timeliness, and mutual accountability by rail carriers, shippers, and receivers they serve.

The Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) said yesterday that its national emergency declaration to provide hours-of-service regulatory relief to commercial vehicle drivers transporting emergency relief in response to the nationwide coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has been extended through May 15, 2020 or until the revocation of the Presidentially-declared COVID-19 national emergency.

This makes a good understanding of how fuel and related costs are managed is critical to effectively managing supply chain performance and cost.

Following the March 13 national emergency declaration to provide hours-of-service regulatory relief to commercial vehicle drivers transporting emergency relief in response to the nationwide coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued an expanded national emergency declaration yesterday.

On the heels of President Trump late last week issuing a national declaration emergency in response to the frenetic impact of the coronavirus, the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) said it has formally issued a national emergency declaration to provide motor carrier hours-of-service (HOS) regulatory relief in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

While the motor carrier hours-of-service (HOS) final rule has ostensibly been on the back burner since the Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a notice of proposed rule making (NPRM) geared towards HOS rule changes, with an emphasis on increasing safety through updating existing commercial motor vehicle driver regulations last August, it appears now that the wheels may be turning on the potential next steps for a final rule.

Top trucking executives are breathing a sigh of relief after a California judge recently issued an injunction against Assembly Bill 5 (AB5), a law governing owner-operators that potentially could be very disruptive to trucking operations in the nation’s most populous state. Truck drivers are divided on AB5, a California law that limits when workers can be contractors instead of employees. Some local port drayage operators supported the measure which would have limited owner-operators in that sector.

Insurance rates for trucking fleets are soaring, sending trucking executives scrambling for coverage even for some of the safest fleets in the land. The reason, according to top trucking executives and transportation attorneys, is the rise in so-called “nuclear settlements” either awarded by a jury or negotiated by attorneys in a wrongful death lawsuit involving a heavy truck.

New HOS tweaks top the list of regulatory changes heading into 2020. Carriers say flexibility is key to effective industry regulation covering the niche sectors that make up this dominant, $700 billion industry.

Shippers and carriers involved in hazmat—and in many areas regulated in transportation and distribution—need to be periodically updating themselves on any additional changes.

A new look may be coming to motor carrier hours-of-service (HOS) rules, with the Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) geared towards HOS changes, with an emphasis on increasing safety through updating existing commercial motor vehicle driver regulations.

The Department of Transportation is quietly moving to make truck drivers’ hours of service rules more flexible.