Truckers can’t keep on truckin’ as long

Truck drivers cruising across Iowa and the nation face new federal rules geared to cut back on fatigue-related crashes. As of January first, truck drivers can operate big rigs for a maximum of 11 hours during a 14-hour shift. Midwest trucking industry analyst John Hausladen says this will lead to a reduced load capacity because of shorter shifts. Hausladen says the trucking industry is committed to making the highways safer, but the new rules will be a challenge. He says with the change, there’s now less time to get the work done, and that will be felt throughout the economy. He says the rules likely -will- cut down on fatigue-related crashes. He says the key for these rules to work is for shippers, receivers and truckers to work as partners. “We have to reduce the amount of time that trucks wait, and that’s going to help compensate for some of the loss of time truck drivers are going to have available to actually be driving.”