Transport Funding Bill Could Be Big Win for Remote Production Providers

Today, the House Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal year 2017 transportation funding bill, which could be a big win for the transportation industry and hours of service rules and regulations.  Provisions in this bill would restore pre-2011 hours of service rules by eliminating mandatory 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. breaks and the restrictions on the weekly use of the 34-hour restart rule. Industry studies show that the pre-2011 rules led to less driver fatigue and fewer accidents than the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s 2011 rules. The new rule could also prevent the transportation industry from losing 2-3% in efficiency per year, with each percentage point representing roughly $356 million per year.

The bill is expected to go before the full House of Representatives in the coming weeks. Due to differences with the Senate version of this bill, the matter will have to go before a conference committee.

• The committee’s press release can be found here.
• A summary of the bill can be found here.
• The full text of the bill can be found here.

For more information, please contact LSCC Executive Director James Voyles at [email protected]