The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is not going to meet the September 30 deadline for completing its study of the 34-hour restart provision of the hours of service rule, a Hill staff member reported.

Renee Gamela, an aide to Rep. Richard Hanna, R-N.Y., also said the agency has not formally responded to a request from Hanna and other Representatives for a firm date when the study will be ready.

In an August letter to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, Hanna and several Republican colleagues asked for a response by September 12.

An agency official acknowledged receipt of the letter and said in an email that the agency will respond directly to the members.

Rep. Hanna said the missed deadline is “disheartening.”

“This development adds to the areas of concerns for Congress since this costly rule was enacted without proper study or transparent analysis,” he said in a statement.

He added that he intends to pursue changes to the HOS rule “to bring relief to our nation’s truckers, small businesses, and consumers – and restore some commonsense to this flawed regulatory process.”

The study was mandated in last year’s highway bill at the request of American Trucking Associations, which objects to the provision requiring drivers to take off two periods between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. during their 34-hour restart.

Data collection for the study was finished in July and the final report is expected later this year, agency spokesperson Marissa Padilla has said.