In 2012, the U.S. Department of Transportation set limits on the number of hours tractor-trailer drivers could drive in a week. They set the ceiling at a whopping 70 hours.
Seventy hours is a long time to be driving a very large, very heavy, very dangerous piece of equipment at high speeds.
Incredibly, Congress wants to increase that ceiling to over 82 hours a week – all as a part of the omnibus spending bill being rushed through both chambers. Trucking interests are seeking that increase – despite the dangers posed to truckers and the driving public.
Recent government data shows that close to 4,000 people die and 104,000 are injured each year in car accidents involving large trucks, with truck driver fatigue identified as a major factor in many of the crashes.
Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker are trying to block this dangerous initiative before it becomes law. Let’s hope they do!