Trucking Industry Wins Rollback of Truck Safety Rules

The American Trucking Association is the largest trade association for the truck industry and is the lobbying arm of trucking businesses and companies. It is the largest national trade association for the trucking industry.

The American Trucking Association is pledging to seek passage of a new federal law when the Republicans control both the White House and Congress. This association has tried to block state laws that require additional rest breaks for truckers beyond what the federal rules require.

In other words, the American Truck Association is pushing hard to undo safety transportation regulations.

The provision that the Republicans added to a must-pass government spending bill suspends regulations issued by the Obama administration requiring truckers to take two nights off to rest after a work week of up to 75 hours.

Truckers are now required to take a 35-hour break at the end of the work week. But the trucking industry objected to the requirement that the 35 hours include two periods from 1-5 a.m.

Yet to come is a push to increase the weight limit on trucks to more than 90,000 lbs. and increasing the length of individual trailers and double-trailer combinations from 28 feet to 33 feet.

What is at risk with the push by the trucking industry is that there may be a patchwork of trucking guidelines in states that is different from the federal law. Also, safety advocates have stated that it would be wrong for Congress to preempt the states without strong federal safety standards in place for automated vehicles.

Truck accidents caused by drivers who have abused the safety rules on sleep hours have been a major cause of many of the serious truck and car accidents on America’s highways that have caused serious injuries and deaths. In addition, the heavier trucks with longer trailers could possibly raise the danger levels of truck crashes. It remains to be seen and observed what the new Congress, controlled by one party will do with safety, particularly in the trucking industry.

Kreisman Law Offices has been handling truck accident cases and wrongful death cases related to highway accidents and deaths for more than 40 years, in and around Chicago, Cook County and surrounding areas, including Bridgeview, Joliet, Bolingbrook, Aurora, Naperville, Wheaton, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights, Park Ridge, Chicago (Jackson Park, Jefferson Park, Rogers Park, Albany Park, Uptown, Old Town, West Town, Little Italy, East Side, South Shore, Back of the Yards, Pullman), Morton Grove and Niles, Ill.