On February 26, 2013 the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced that it will not delay enforcement of the new hours-of-service rules. This was in response to the American Trucking Association’s request to delay enforcing the rules until three months following the ATA’s currently pending lawsuit is decided.
Currently the new hours-of-service rules are expected to go into effect July 1, 2013. However, the ATA, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association have all requested that the implementation of the new rules be delayed until after the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has reviewed and made a ruling on the case requesting the new changes be overturned. The argument is that by waiting until the court has made its decision, individuals who will ultimately be impacted, including shippers, carriers and FMCSA-funded state enforcement agencies, will not be forced to spend time and money on training and adaptation of the new system only to potentially have changes handed down by the court.
You can learn more about the hours-of-service regulations and final rule by visiting http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/topics/hos/index.htm.