The Kansas Corporation Commission voted to change rest requirements in order to get truckers back on the road more quickly.
Previously, rest requirements would sometimes have truck drivers waiting wait 47 hours instead of 34 during their reset period because there had to be two rest periods 1 and 5 a.m. New requirements would do away with the two 1 a.m. to 5 a.m rest requirements.
New Rest Requirements To Align Kansas Regulations With Federal Regulations
Kansas officials say that part of the reason for the change is to help align state laws with federal regulations. “We wanted to have just one rule for interstate and intrastate,” said Michael Duenes of the KCC’s transportation division. The new regulation has been approved for now on a required 60 day temporary basis, after which the KCC can approve it on a permanent basis.
The change should offer some benefit to motor carriers since their truck drivers will be able to get back to work more quickly, but some are questioning whether the changing rest requirements will be harmful to public safety. The National Fraternal Order of Police said that the risk is minimal since roads are mainly empty during early morning hours, but the International Association of Chiefs of Police does not approve of the change.
Source:
The Topeka Capitol Journal