Trucking association: Proposed hours-of-service changes will hurt small businesses

Arlington, VA – Proposed changes to federal hours-of-service regulations for commercial drivers are unwarranted and would harm small businesses, a representative for the American Trucking Associations told members of Congress June 14 during a House subcommittee hearing.

James Burg, president of James Burg Trucking Co. in Warren, MI, testified (.pdf file) that, “These changes, if finalized, would have a profoundly negative impact on small businesses, would restrict productivity, and would result in greater congestion and increased emissions. These impacts are significant since there are some 500,000 trucking companies in the United States and 99 percent of these companies are small businesses.”

The hearing was convened by the House Small Business Committee’s Investigations, Oversight and Regulations Subcommittee. Its goal was to explore the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s proposed rule on HOS and discuss what effect changes would have on owner-operators and other small businesses.