With new administration, regulatory policy changes could be coming

From Transport Topics.

With a new administration now occupying the White House, the trucking industry soon could see changes in the regulatory landscape.

“When there is a change in administrations, it is standard to have a regulatory freeze so new agency staff have some time to review the issues at hand, and the review can delay or pause the regulatory process,” said Daniel Horvath, vice president of safety policy for American Trucking Associations.

Horvath added, “These reviews can on occasion reach back to impact rules that have already been finalized, which can be a concern. ATA will be closely watching final regulations like the hours-of-service rule, which became effective last September after a long, data-driven process.”

Now that Joe Biden is president, a number of proposals, and even new Trump administration regulations, now on a 60-day freeze through mid-March, could be in jeopardy.

Here are a few that are destined for a thorough review by the new administration:

• A recent announcement by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to seek a pilot project to collect data to determine if a 6/4 and 5/5 sleeper berth split would be safe and effective.
• A recent U.S. Department of Labor final rule and opinion letter to better clarify how motor carriers decide if independent contractors should be reclassified as employees.
• A plan by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to fashion a national heavy-truck oxides of nitrogen rule that has been delayed for months, presumably awaiting guidance from the Biden administration.

See the complete article from Transport Topics online.