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December 27, 1999 9:58 AM, EST

American Trucking Associations' recommendations on new rules governing the driving and resting hours of commercial truckers are in line with the group's stated position on the issue.

In Dec. 15 comments to the Department of Transportation and the Office of Management and Budget, ATA made the following recommendations for reforming hours-of-service regulations:

• The rules should be based on a 24-hour clock.
• Off-duty time should be increased from eight to 10 hours.

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• Drivers should be limited to 14 hours of on-duty time dring each cycle, with no distinction between driving and non-driving duty.

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• Drivers should be allowed "flex time" under certain conditions, to "borrow" up to two hours against another cycle in order to complete a given task on time.

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• Drivers should be able to restart their on-duty clocks after 34 consecutive off-duty hours.

n Dec. 3, DOT sent its hours-of-service proposal to the White House, where it is now being reviewed by OMB. The government's proposal reportedly would include 14 hours on-duty and 10 hours off, based on a 24-hour clock. It would also require two hours of break time mandated during each on-duty shift (12-13, p. 3).

ATA does not support mandatory rest breaks.

For the full story, see the Dec. 27 print edition of Transport Topics. .