Edgeworth Economics Submits Analysis of Trucking Regulations

Washington, D.C. – At the request of the American Trucking Association (ATA), Edgeworth Economics prepared an assessment of the costs and benefits of the proposed Hours of Service (HOS) rules issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and reviewed the agency’s Regulatory Impact Assessment. The HOS rules regulate the amount of time that long-haul truck drivers can spend on duty and behind the wheel. Edgeworth economists analyzed the FMCSA’s methods and assumptions and reviewed public information on truck crashes, sleep research, and other relevant subjects. Edgeworth concluded that the agency substantially changed its approaches for determining costs and benefits associated with HOS restrictions since a previous regulatory assessment in 2007 and that the agency’s new methods and assumptions result in a substantial overstatement of the net benefits of the proposed rule. Edgeworth’s report was filed with the Federal government as a public comment to the proposed rule. Please see ATA’s press release for a summary of Edgeworth’s findings.