News Notes: Trucker Safety Rules Revised

The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued revised rules regulating driving hours and rest periods for professional truckers. The rules, which take effect Jan. 4, 2004, will permit professional truck drivers to drive up to 11 hours during a 14-hour on-duty period, provided the trucker receives a 10-hour off-duty period following the shift. For short-haul drivers, the on-duty period will be increased to 16 hours once during any consecutive seven-day period.