National Retail Federation blasts hours of service proposal   

I have excerpted some of the key paragraphs from an excellent document submitted to FMCSA and published by the NRF opposing the proposed hours of service changes. The entire document is available on the NRF Web site.

NRF strongly supports the current HOS regulations and questions the need to make changes. Any changes to the current HOS regulations should be based on sound science and studies of safety and driver health. In addition, the FMCSA must consider the significant economic impact that changes to the current HOS will have across the industry, including the impact to retail operations at both the store and distribution center level. NRF appreciates the opportunity to submit comments in support of the current HOS regulations.

While many in industry were concerned about the impact of the HOS regulations when they first went into effect in January 2004, U.S. industry, including retailers, have adapted their operations to comply with these requirements. However, removing the current rules and reverting back to the old rules or some variation thereof, would result in significant cost increases for the industry as a whole and would adversely impact the U.S. economy. Our members estimate that the impact of the proposed change in hours of service rules could increase transportation costs by 3% to 20% depending on the specific retailer's network and operation. Many of our members also have concerns over the possibility for adverse unintended consequences as a result of the proposed changes that could lead to further cost increases. The reduction in transportation productivity and driver capacity owing to the rule change could substantially undermine supply chain performance in the retail sector.

If the 11-hour drive time limit were to be reduced to the previous 10-hour limit, we anticipate there will be a need for significantly more trucks and drivers on the road to fulfill the demands of what is currently being accomplished under the 11-hour on-duty time. We have similar concerns over the proposed change to the 34 hour restart rule that would include two consecutive nights (midnight – 6:00 am) of rest. These changes could reduce road safety resulting from the need for additional trucks on the road during peak commuter hours. Other impacts could include increased diesel emissions, additional congestion and more wear and tear on infrastructure.

In addition to the change to the maximum allowable drive time, other retailers are concerned about proposed changes to the 34 hour restart provision that includes two consecutive nights (midnight to 6 am) of rest. Many retailers with stores located in urban areas use nighttime hours to efficiently reach stores and restock shelves during less congested hours. The use of nighttime hours provides many retailers greater reliability over their supply chain by reducing congestion related delays. The deployment of more trucks during the night also separates truck and automobile interactions contributing to increased safety. The proposed change to the 34 hour restart provision to include two consecutive nights of rest reduces the ability to schedule deliveries at night placing more trucks on the road during normal commuting hours. This adversely impacts a retailer's supply chain performance, potentially increasing congestion related delays and increasing the likelihood of accidents as a result of greater truck and automobile interactions.

As the world's largest retail trade association, the National Retail Federation's global membership includes retailers of all sizes, formats and channels of distribution as well as chain restaurants and industry partners from the U.S. and more than 45 countries abroad. In the U.S., NRF represents the breadth and diversity of an industry with more than 1.6 million American companies that employ nearly 25 million workers and generated 2010 sales of $2.4 trillion.