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Immediate Action Needed to Support
Suspension of 34-Hour Restart Provisions
The VTA has been working in support of the American Trucking Associations' efforts to aggressively pursue options to address two parts of the 34 hour restart provision in the Hours of Service rules that were changed last year. They are:
- The requirement that drivers must be off-duty for two consecutive periods between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.
- The mandate that only allows a driver to use the restart provision once every 7 days.
These efforts will come to a head TODAY! Below is a letter that ATA President Bill Graves has sent to all ATA members describing the state of affairs. If we are successful in this effort it would immediately remove these two components for one year while FMCSA completes a scientific study of their impacts.
Please immediately contact your Members of Congress urging support of the Collins language on hours of service for truck drivers. As we have all experienced, these rules are ineffective and costly to not only our companies but to our professionals that safely deliver our nation's freight.
Ask your employees and customers to do the same. The process is simple and takes just a few minutes. Near the end of the letter from Gov. Graves, there is a link to the webpage where you can add your contact information and use the suggested letter to contact your Representatives and Senators Warner and Kaine. The software automatically matches your zip code with your Members of Congress.
Thank you for your membership and support of the VTA and please contact your Members of Congress NOW!
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Letter from
ATA President & CEO Bill Graves
December 8, 2014
Dear ATA Members:
In the event you didn't get a chance to contact your Members of Congress over the weekend urging them to support the Collins language on hours of service for truck drivers, we are asking you to do so today!
Congress returns to work today and is expected to take action on legislation to continue funding the government into the current 2015 fiscal year (FY2015). ATA continues to seek immediate relief from the two new unjustified Hours of Service restart restrictions, by including language that would suspend and study the effects of those restrictions for one year. The language was authored by Senator Collins and passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee 21-9 earlier this year.
The Collins language addressing these restart provisions is being challenged by self-appointed safety groups, the Teamsters, and U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. These groups have sent letters to Congress (click here to read) that are misleading and which mischaracterize the issues. I sent a letter to the Appropriations Committee leaders on Thursday (click here to read the letter) stating the facts and urging their support for the Collins language, and highlighting other measures that will improve truck safety. ATA sent a press release (click here to read it) to the media this morning to ensure our story is told.
Senator Collins on Friday sent a letter (click here) to Transportation Secretary Foxx questioning why his letter to Congress misrepresents several key issues and fails to approach these important concerns from a data-driven perspective. Senator Collins, with great detail, explains the facts and includes the letter former FMCSA Administrator Annette Sandberg (click here) sent to Capitol Hill earlier this year.
While many of you heeded the call earlier this summer to push your delegation to support the hours of service language, and then again took action when Congress returned in early November urging passage of the Omnibus Appropriations bill, we need your help again!
Please immediately contact your Members of Congress urging support of the Collins language on hours of service for truck drivers. As we have all experienced, these rules are ineffective and costly to not only our companies but to our professionals that safely deliver our nation's freight.
Ask your employees and customers to do the same. The process is simple and takes just a few minutes. To begin, click here, add your contact information and use the included letter. The software automatically matches your zip code with your Members of Congress.
Thanks in advance for your help on this vital trucking issue.
Bill P. Graves
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