On September 23, 2011, Full Committee Chairman John L. Mica (R-FL), Highways Subcommittee Chairman John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-TN), Railroads Subcommittee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) and Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) sent a letter to President Obama and DOT Secretary LaHood to express their concerns regarding DOT’s proposed changes to the hours of service rules for truck drivers. In the letter, they requested that the President withdraw his proposed changes, which would impose unnecessary and costly regulatory burdens on the trucking industry by making changes to the current rules. The changes were included in the President’s list of Proposed Regulations from Executive Agencies with Cost Estimates of $1 Billion or More and are scheduled to be made final at the end of October.

Since the implementation of the current rules, there has been a reduction in severe and fatal crashes involving large trucks, indicating that the current rules are having a positive impact on highway safety. 

Read the letter here.