Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
1 NW OOIDA Drive, Grain Valley, MO  64029    
Web site: www.ooida.com

Contact: Norita Taylor, norita_taylor@ooida.com 
Headquarters: (800) 444-5791

OOIDA reviewing options on HOS ruling

Sleeper berth petition denied

(Grain Valley, MO, Oct. 1, 2007) – The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association expressed disappointment in response to a decision on hours-of-service regulations from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The court denied the Association’s request to review restrictions on split rest in sleeper berths.

They also decided to hold the current hours-of-service regulations until Dec. 27 to give the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration time to respond to changes from a ruling in July of this year. At that time, the court voided the 11 hours of driving and 34-hour restart on the grounds that the public didn't have enough notice from FMCSA and its analysis of accident risk.

OOIDA Director of Regulatory Affairs Rick Craig said, “We are obviously not too happy about the decision, but more importantly, we are focused on reviewing other options on possible future actions.”

OOIDA had asked the court to review whether FMCSA had adequately given the public notice of the changes it made to the sleeper-berth rule, and whether the agency had adequately considered the effect of the 14-hour rule to discourage drivers from taking short rest breaks. 

“While this concludes our options for review from the courts, we will be working with FMCSA for a speedy resolution now and petitioning the agency in the future for practical rules that reflect the real world for most truckers,” added Craig.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is the national trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers. OOIDA was established in 1973 and is headquartered in Grain Valley, MO. The Association currently has more than 156,000 members from all 50 states and Canada.

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