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FMCSA begins job of reviewing HOS with Dec. 7 meeting

WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced this week that the agency’s Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) will hold a committee meeting via conference call on Dec. 7.

The meeting will be held to fulfill a request to MCSAC to begin work on a new task as part of FMCSA’s broad efforts to gather information and recommendations on Hours of Service requirements for drivers.

According to the Federal Register, FMCSA is asking MCSAC to provide advice and recommendations on HOS requirements.

Assigning MCSAC this task is one of several steps that FMCSA will be undertaking in its process of proposing HOS requirements for drivers of property-carrying vehicles. Other steps will include public listening sessions across the country and the opportunity for public comment on the forthcoming Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the Federal Register notice said.

Public Citizen and other groups have challenged the past three HOS rules, all issued under the George W. Bush administration.

The groups’ latest challenge was settled Oct. 26 when the Obama administration agreed to “review and reconsider the 2008 rule,” according to court papers.

In court documents filed Oct. 26, it was agreed in a joint motion of petitioners and FMCSA (respondent) to hold the case in abeyance (temporary inactivity) pending the issuance of a new (NPRM) concerning HOS.

The Dec. 7 conference call meeting will be held from 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. EST and is open to the public.

For further information contact Jack Kostelnik, acting chief, Strategic Planning and Program Evaluation Division, Office of Policy Plans and Regulation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590, (202) 366-5730,  or e-mail [email protected] .

The Trucker staff can be contacted to comment on this article at [email protected] .

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