TRUCKING and shipping groups have intensified lobbying in Washington to stop the imposition of the Department of Transport hours or service rules that must be published before October 28 if they are to come into force.

    House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman, Florida Republican Congressman John Mica, attacked the hours of service proposal in a letter to President Barack Obama, saying Congress would "aggressively oversee" attempts to impose "new regulatory burdens".

    House Speaker John Boehner and fellow Republican, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, noted that the White House itself said that the restrictions would add US$1 billion in costs for "not only the trucking industry, but every business shipping and receiving goods."

    The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration hasn't said whether it will seek to reduce the 11-hour driving limit that has been in place since 2004, but many in the industry believe the agency will take the limit down to 10 hours.

    House Republicans could insert language into the multi-year spending bill preserving the current rules and the 11-hour daily driving limit. In 2000, Republicans blocked a Clinton administration hours of service limits by stripping funding for it.

(source:http://www.shippingonline.cn/news/newsList.asp?classname=News)