Gianforte Secures Greater Flexibility for America's Truckers
Press Release
Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) updated its hours of service (HOS) rules for commercial motor vehicle drivers, changes Gianforte has championed for years.
"As we have confronted the COVID-19 outbreak, America's truckers have been among our nation's heroes, ensuring our grocery stores and pharmacies are stocked and our health care providers have the resources they need," Gianforte said. "But for too long, truckers have faced undue federal burdens and unreasonable red tape. Today's announcement gives our truckers greater safety, increased flexibility, and more options as they meet the critical demands of keeping our nation's supply chains moving."
Since beginning to serve Montana in Congress in 2017, Gianforte has worked to provide regulatory relief to truckers, whether with HOS regulations or electronic logging device mandates.
According to the DOT, the modernized regulations announced today are "estimated to provide nearly $274 million in annualized cost savings for the U.S. economy and American consumers."
Background:
On July 24, 2018, Gianforte met with FMCSA Administrator Raymond P. Martinez to discuss how cattle mortality increases when truckers are not able to make it to their destination in one trip, restrictions of hours truckers can drive, and the 100-air-mile radius for drivers.
On September 20, 2018, Gianforte wrote to Administrator Martinez, seeking clarification on common questions from truckers for ag Hours of Service rules and raising the impact of inclement weather on drive times.
On October 31, 2019, Gianforte joins U.S. Reps. Brian Babin (R-Texas) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) in writing a letter to FMCSA encouraging them to finalize their rule to make common sense changes to the existing Hours of Service rules.
On April 28, 2020, Gianforte encouraged the Office of Management and Budget to finalize its review of the final rule so it can be implemented.
Source