Poll: Most people oppose changes to trucker hours-of-service requirements

Washington – Four out of five Americans oppose legislative efforts to increase the number of hours truckers can drive per week, according to the results of a poll released by Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety and the Truck Safety Coalition.

More than 1,000 members of the public participated in the survey. Opposition to the legislation – which would allow truckers to drive up to 82 hours per week instead of the current 70 hours – was strong across gender (83 percent of women, 76 percent of men), as well as political affiliation (85 percent of Democrats, 76 percent of Republicans).

The poll follows a recent amendment proposed by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) that would allow truck drivers to work longer hours by suspending a requirement that they “reset” their schedule once a week by taking a 34-hour break, including two stints between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. The amendment was pulled from the Senate floor after disagreement among lawmakers, and it remained in limbo as Congress took its fall recess.

In July, a Senate subcommittee hearing put truck safety in the spotlight. The two-hour hearing included testimony from a variety of truck safety advocates and federal officials about the possible effects of increased hours for truckers.