Final rule prohibits pressuring truck, bus drivers to violate safety regs
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Washington – Commercial truck and bus drivers who feel pressured to violate safety regulations to keep their jobs now have added protections from the government.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published a final rule in the Nov. 30 Federal Register that allows the agency to take enforcement action against employers that coerce drivers into breaking safety rules to meet tight schedules. The final rule applies to motor carriers as well as shippers, receivers, freight-forwarders, brokers and other intermediaries.
As FMCSA formulated the final rule, agency officials heard from CMV drivers who reported feeling forced into ignoring safety laws. Drivers said they were threatened with a number of possible consequences for not meeting production demands, including:
- Implicit or explicit threats of job loss
- Denial of future trips or loads
- Cut in pay
- Forfeiture of preferred work hours or transportation jobs
“Our nation relies on millions of commercial vehicle drivers to move people and freight, and we must do everything we can to ensure that they are able to operate safely,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a press release.