The bitter and seemingly endless debate over truck driver hours of service has taken several turns over the past decade, but its origins stretch back to the 1930s. Federal hours-of-service rules barely changed for 65 years, but trucking deregulation in 1980, the rapid expansion of truckload carriage and growing concern about driver fatigue led to calls for an overhaul that was finally mandated by Congress in 1995. Four new hours-of-service rules have been implemented since 2003. The lastest changes were implemented this July, limiting the use of a 34-hour restart provision and mandating a daily 30-minute break.

Complete coverage of the trucking hours-of-service debate.

Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com and follow him at twitter.com/wbcassidy_joc.