The Responsible and Effective Standards for Truckers (REST) Act is up for a vote in Congress. Sponsored by Republican Congressman Brian Babin from Texas, this Act promises to give truckers more options on the road.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee took a hard look at the trucking industry's current hours of service rules. The committee then decided that it was in the interest and safety of today's truckers to make those rules more flexible.
The REST Act seeks to "modernize" hours of service regulations for truck drivers by allowing a single off-duty rest period not to be counted towards trucker's current 14-hour on-duty allowance of hours. Truckers are currently allowed to work 14 consecutive hours. The rest period can be up to three hours and the proposed REST Act would also eliminate the current 30-minute rest break on longer shifts.
The 14-consecutive hours rule works out to requiring truckers to take off 10 hours in a row of off-duty time before their next work shift takes effect. The bill could make trucker's lives easier and lead to improved overall highway safety for other drivers as well.
The CEO of the Owner Operator Independent Driver Association, Todd Spencer, joined national politicians from both sides of the political aisle in the need to overcome "rigid" federal hours of service regulations and provide truckers with more options in today's modern economy. Spencer knows truck drivers from around the nation agree with him when he says that a new approach is needed with respect to hours of service rules mandated at the federal level.
The REST Act would allow for a generous break during your shift. Up to three consecutive hours are considered a break under the REST Act, and these hours won’t count towards your 14-hour on-duty allowance. That's good news for truck drivers and other motorists trying to make a living.