Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently unveiled a package of new initiatives, pilot programs and regulatory changes to the long-haul trucking industry. Wisconsin trucking companies say it’s a welcome relief from the challenges the industry has faced in recent years.
The changes include funding to create more truck parking, withdrawing a proposed rule that would limit truck speed and cracking down on illegal double-brokering.
Dan Johnson is the president and CEO of the Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association, a nonprofit trade association representing about 900 companies in the transportation industry. He told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” that the changes come as Wisconsin trucking companies slowly recover from a post-pandemic freight recession, where capacity for shipping was high but the volume of freight was low.
“The last couple of years have been a little difficult for some of our trucking companies in Wisconsin,” Johnson said. “But we are optimistic that things will start to improve.”
The package includes changes that remove what the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration calls “one-size-fits-all mandates.” One withdraws a proposed rule that would require the use of speed limiters — devices that restrict the maximum speed of a vehicle. Johnson expressed his support for that change.
“It doesn’t necessarily work,” Johnson said. “Driving too slow can also be a problem. And if you have trucks trying to pass each other, and they can’t pass each other because there are speed limiters in place, that could create congestion.”
Pilot programs in the package offer more flexibility to the limit on how long a driver is allowed to be on the road. Currently, a driver can’t drive more than 11 hours at a time and their workday must be completed within a 14-hour window. That rule is meant to prevent fatigue that could lead to road accidents.
One of the pilots introduces a “pause clock” option, which would allow drivers to pause the 14-hour workday window to account for delays, traffic or time spent resting.
Johnson said he doesn’t think it poses a safety issue to allow more flexibility for drivers.