Highway safety regulators are changing work rules that limit truck drivers’ time behind the wheel, shifts they said would give drivers more flexibility without increasing overall daily driving time. The modifications are aimed at settling years of debates between safety advocates, trucking companies and drivers over regulations intended to reduce accidents caused by highway fatigue. The rules limit most commercial truck drivers to 11 hours of driving time in a 14-hour workday, with certain prescribed rest breaks. Some trucking companies and independent truck drivers say the existing rules are too rigid and end up running out the clock when drivers get stuck in traffic or are waiting at loading docks. The updates come as trucking companies are coping with sharply reduced freight volumes because of coronavirus-driven lockdowns.

Source: Wall Street Journal May 14, 2020 15:00 UTC