Do You Have Truckers? Vendors With Truckers? Might Want To Consider the Longer Term Impact of the New Rules

Hint, think $. The Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration's rules setting new operating rules for truckers have just turned one year old, and are meeting with mixed reviews, particularly from the industry which fears a looming shortage of truck drivers. If trucking plays a role in your business, and it almost certainly does, even if you never see a truck, you should check out, Federal trucking rules roll out to mixed reviews, in the Atlanta Business Journal. For more background check out the FMCSA's page devoted to the Revised Hours of Service Regulations.



The new rules of service as summarized in the Business Journal are:

drivers may not drive more than 11 hours following 10 hours off duty, beyond the 14th hour after coming on duty after 10 hours off duty and after 60 hours in seven days or 70 hours in eight days. A driver may restart a driving period after taking 34 consecutive hours off.

Actually, that is a bit of oversimplification, as there are a fair number of exceptions, check out the FMCSA's page or a summary at the Trucker's Report for more details, but it does give you a feel as to the juggling issues transportation companies are now dealing with.