ATA Seeking Trucking Firms' HOS Input by March 24
The American Trucking Associations says it will use the safety data submitted in a confidential online survey "to continue to educate the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration leadership and staff" about the industry's experience with the current hours of service rule.
One key stakeholder as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration works on a new hours of service rule for commercial drivers is the American Trucking Associations, the trade association for trucking companies. ATA is asking its fleet members to complete an online survey by March 24 and says it will use the safety data submitted in the survey "to continue to educate the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration leadership and staff" about the industry's experience with the current hours of service rule. ATA maintains the statistics support its position that trucking safety has improved because of the current rule, which sets maximum driving and related resting hours.
Opponents headed by Public Citizen filed three successful lawsuits in federal court to block the rule, but it stayed in place. FMCSA finally settled the case by agreeing to reconsider the rule –- and ATA wants its members' experience to count during that process.
The survey on the American Transportation Research Institute's Web site asks respondents to report all DOT recordable accidents they experienced in 2009 and how many of those were determined to be "preventable," total driver injuries recorded on the OSHA 300 Log in 2009 and the 2009 driver injuries resulting from recordable accidents, and the average numbero f drivers, trucks, and fuel tax miles in 2009. The data "will remain strictly confidential and [will be] presented in cleansed, aggregate form only," according to the page.