1. New hours of service rules take effect July 1
OK, in full disclosure, HOS-related news stories actually rated #1, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8, but rather than squeeze other stories out of the top 10, we lumped all HOS-related stories in at #1.
After nearly a decade of rule makings and lawsuits, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was finally successful in pushing through new hours of service rules which took effect July 1.
Industry analysts and fleet feedback point to a 3 to 5 percent drop in productivity since the rule took effect that required a mandatory 30-minute rest period within the first eight hours of drive time and a 34-hour restart limited to once per week and that contains two consecutive 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. periods of rest.
Industry groups and members of Congress continue to challenge the new rules and advocate for a rollback to previous hours requirements.
