A prominent road safety researcher who once headed the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s research division is calling into question the methodology and thus conclusions drawn from several studies used as the basis for proposals to revise the current hours-of-service rules. Dr. Ronald R. Knipling says the handful of studies the FMCSA allowed comment on during the extended discussion period were flawed either in their sampling or the stretch in comparing two very different subjects. At best, these findings would need more research or attempts at replication to make them useful, and at worst, they are a poor basis for such far-reaching regulatory changes, according to Knipling. The American Trucking Associations said this criticism “underscores the weakness of the agency’s case for changing the hours-of-service rules.”

Leading Truck Safety Researcher Raises Questions About Studies Used to Back HOS Changes

The American Trucking Associations on Thursday, June 9, said an internationally recognized safety researcher has questioned the cache of studies submitted in an 11-hour manner by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to support its hours-of-service proposal, saying the studies contain many problems and shouldn’t be relied on to support the agency’s proposed changes.

Dr. Ronald R. Knipling, former head of FMCSA’s research division and the first American to receive the Order of Merit from the International Road Transport Union for his work on truck safety, called into question the validity of the studies the agency inserted into the docket on May 6 after closing the comment period for its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. FMCSA reopened the comment period for 30 days for discussion related only to the new documents; the deadline to submit comments was June 9.

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