A public interest group scored a major victory today when the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sent the federal government’s hours of service regulations back to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for review.

The Washington, D.C. appeals court agreed with Public Citizen that the hours of service rules failed to consider the health of truck drivers.
The opinion, which is posted in full on the court’s web site, http://www.cadc.uscourts.gov, reads in part:
"The FMCSA points to nothing in the agency’s extensive deliberations establishing that it considered that statutorily mandated factor of drivers’ health in the slightest."
The rules extend the time a driver can be on the road from 10 to 11 hours a day, but reduces the hours a driver can be on-duty from 15 to 14 hours a day. On-duty hours under the new rules include meals, loading and unloading and fuel stops.
The FMCSA said it had received today’s ruling and will make an announcement at a later date.

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