June 18: Call to Action

If you live in these states, please call or email ASAP:

Support the Booker-Blumenthal Amendment to Stop Tired Trucking

Booker-Blumenthal Amendment Will Strike Dangerous Language in Collins Amendment That Would Weaken Truck Driver Hours of Service Rule

The Collins amendment would weaken the 34-hour rest period or “restart,” and:

Dramatically increase the allowable driving hours of truck drivers from the current average of about 70 hours a week to more than 80 hours a week. This is equivalent to adding an additional work day to the work week of a truck driver.
Allow shippers and supervisors to once again push drivers to work an average work week of up to 82 hours every week. This is double the normal work week of the average American worker and without any overtime pay or compensation.
Ignore a scientific study required by MAP-21 and conducted by the FMCSA to evaluate the 34-hour rest period provision. This study showed:
- “Having at least two nighttime periods from 1 a.m. until 5 a.m. in the restart break helps to mitigate fatigue as measured both objectively and subjectively. This constitutes evidence in support of the efficacy of the new restart rule” (FMCSA, Report to Congress (2014)).
- The quality of night-time sleep is far superior to sleep obtained during the day-time period. The FMCSA study confirmed the findings of hundreds of peer-reviewed studies on rest among night shift workers in numerous industries, and the conclusion is the same and significant. The natural circadian cycle favors sleeping at night.

This week, the Senate will vote on the Appropriations Bill. Please call or email your Senators today, and urge them to support the Booker-Blumenthal amendment to strike the Collins Amendment language that weakens the HOS rule. The recent tragic truck crash in New Jersey is just one example of the devastation that occurs when a driver, behind the wheel of an 80,000 pound truck, falls asleep or is inattentive due to fatigue.

TAKE action now:

Please call your Senators ASAP and urge them to:

SUPPORT THE BOOKER-BLUMENTHAL AMENDMENT TO STOP TIRED TRUCKING

Strike Senator Collins Amendment That Would Weaken the HOS Rule Restart

Truck Driver Fatigue is a Serious and Deadly Problem

Talking Points:

We urge you to strike the Collins amendment. This dangerous amendment will exacerbate truck driver fatigue, and increase dangers on our highways.

STRIKE THE COLLINS AMENDMENT

Truck driver fatigue has been recognized as a major safety concern and a contributing factor to fatal truck crashes for over 70 years.
Every year, on average, 4,000 people die in truck crashes and about 100,000 more are injured at a cost of at least $87 billion, a large number of them due to driver fatigue.
FMCSA studies reveal that 65% of truck drivers report they often or sometimes feel drowsy while driving and nearly half admit they fell asleep while driving in the previous year.
Truck driving is consistently listed as one of the top ten most dangerous jobs in the U.S. In 2011, fatalities among large truck occupants increased 20 percent, and by another 9 percent in 2012.

DO NOT DE-FUND, REVISE OR REPLACE THE HOS RULE

The current HOS Rule will:

Prevent approximately 1,400 crashes each year — saving 19 lives and avoiding 560 injuries;
Provide $280 million in annual savings from fewer crashes and $470 million in annual savings from improved driver health (i.e., reduced mortality).

SUPPORT THE BOOKER – BLUMENTHAL AMENDMENT TO STOP TIRED TRUCKING

Urge your Senator to Support the Booker – Blumenthal Amendment

The public health and safety community, law enforcement, the Trucking Alliance, and labor jointly support the Booker – Blumenthal amendment to Stop Tired Trucking.

This amendment will strike the Collins language to suspend the restart provisions, and will retain the CMV Driver Restart Study instead of a roll back on safety regulation.

The CMV Driver Restart Study directs DOT to conduct a peer-reviewed study of truck driver fatigue with specific deadlines based on objective data produced by electronic logging devices (ELDs) that will be installed in 2015.

DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE

The current hours of service rule DOES NOT:

Restrict a driver from driving at night. In fact, the current rule places no restrictions on when a truck driver must drive. Unless a driver is absolutely maxing out their driving time and trying to drive more than the 60 or 70 hours currently permitted, there is also no restriction on when they have to take a break. Moreover, the rule does not specify when that driver must go back on the road after the break.
Add More Trucks to the road. Changes to the requirements for rest periods do not have any effect on the amount of freight shipped.

Every minute and a half of every day, there is a large truck crash.

SAY NO TO MORE TIRED TRUCKERS WORKING EVEN LONGER WORK WEEKS!