Dear Senator,
We are united in writing you to support the Booker Amendment to the Transportation Housing and Urban Development (THUD) FY 2015 Appropriations bill. This commonsense amendment will prevent an increase in weekly work hours for truck drivers, and will reduce truck driver fatigue by striking language inserted into the bill at committee markup (Collins Amendment) that weakens the hours of service (HOS) rule.
The Collins Amendment returns to the old restart, which was struck down by the Courts, where half of the truck drivers admitted to falling asleep at the wheel and 65% said they were drowsy.
Truck Drivers Need to Sleep in Their Beds and Not Behind the Wheel of an 80,000 lb. Rig.
Compelling editorials sum it up:
USA Today: “The full Senate and House ought to have enough sense to leave it [the current rule] alone.”
The Virginian Pilot: “The effect of the Senate bill would undoubtedly be more truckers on American highways with less rest. Another year with 4,000 people killed in large truck crashes.”
New York Times: “The trucking industry makes the disingenuous claim that the rule, which has been in effect since July 2013, “exacerbates congestion” and could make highways less safe by forcing more truck drivers onto the roads during morning rush hours. The rule requires that the break include two consecutive nights, but it says nothing about what time drivers must go back to work. If anything, the rule is too weak.”
The Boston Globe: “All motorists should hope the new rules go into effect, and keep tired truckers off the road.”
Baltimore Sun Editorial: “[P]rospect of putting more such [fatigued] drivers on the road ought to motivate the House and Senate to strike down this dangerous amendment…”
Lehigh Valley Live: “Don’t delay tougher truck-safety rules.”
The Record (North Jersey): ”There’s no need to loosen the cap. Overly tired truck drivers don’t belong on the road.”
Star Ledger: “Efforts to overturn federal sleep rules should be reversed, with more emphasis instead on technology and enforcement to ensure they’re followed. . . The company [Walmart], whose drivers covered 667 million miles last year, and the entire trucking industry should work to preserve, not overturn, rules that make the highways safer.”
Portland Press Herald: “But truckers falling asleep at the wheel is such a well-documented killer that we would rather see other strategies to reduce traffic congestion tried before this one. . . There must be a way to reduce rush-hour traffic that doesn’t put more tired truckers on the road.”
Lehigh Valley Live: “Lawmakers need to use common sense, defeat this amendment [the Collins amendment] and allow stricter truck-safety measures that protect all of the motoring public to take effect.”
Don’t Turn Back the Clock on Driver Fatigue with the Collins Amendment
We urge you to uphold ongoing efforts to reduce truck driver fatigue
Support the Booker Amendment
Sincerely,
Truck Safety Coalition
Parents Against Tired Truckers
Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways
Road Safe America
John Lindsay Foundation