P.I.S.S.D. — Personal Injury, Social Security Disability. Dallas Texas Lawyers

That’s the headline of a recent statement by Joan Claybrook,
President of Public Citizen. Public Citizen is a national, nonprofit
consumer advocacy
organization founded in 1971 to represent consumer interests in
Congress, the executive branch and the courts. Here is the full
statement:

At this point, in the 11th hour of the Bush
administration, we weren’t holding out much hope that the Federal Motor
Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) would suddenly change course and
do the right thing when it comes to limiting the number of hours
truckers may spend behind the wheel. And true to its eight-year history
of putting corporate profits above consumer protection, the Bush
administration didn’t disappoint.

The rule that FMCSA released today governing the number
of hours truckers can drive each day (known as hours-of-service rules)
is practically identical to two rules that the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia struck down last year and in 2004 after
Public Citizen challenged the regulations.

FMCSA’s rule, which ignores mountains of safety
research, authorizes the exact same 11-hours of driving and 34-hour
restart provisions of rules past – rules that the court deemed were
inadequate. Under the rule, drivers may continue to log a physically
and mentally demanding 77 hours behind the wheel in a seven-day period,
take a mere 34 hours off, then hit the road to do it all over. In
addition, drivers can be required to work 14 hours a day, which
includes loading and unloading cargo. The rule also fails to require
electronic on-board recorders that are essential to assure effective
enforcement of the rule.

This rule will continue to force truck drivers to
continue enduring sweatshop-like working conditions. This puts the
health and safety of drivers at risk, along with the public who must
share the road with tired truckers. From 2003 to 2006, the number of
annual deaths among occupants of large trucks increased from 726 to
805, according to the Department of Transportation. Additionally,
nearly 4,584 people were killed in 2007 in crashes involving large
trucks, while another 76,000 were injured. Research clearly shows the
risk of a crash dramatically increases after eight hours of driving.

The Obama administration and the next Congress should
add the hours-of-service rule to its list of wrong-headed Bush
administration policies that should be rescinded. The courts, the
truckers’ unions and consumer and safety advocates have pushed for a
sensible rule to no avail. For real change, it’s time to put the safety
of truckers and the motoring public first.

*Note: Joan Claybrook was administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from 1977-1981.