Research the DOT's trucker hours-of-service rules and write a brief report outlining the rules. What is the current status of the 2013 rules?
Large trucks are an important piece of the logistics chain. However, there were 333,000 large truck crashes in 2012, resulting in almost 3,800 fatalities, the majority being drivers or passengers of other vehicles, not the truck driver. One accident in 2014 caused an public uproar when a Walmart truck driver fell asleep at the wheel after being awake for 24 hours and crashed into another car, killing one person and critically injuring others, one being a well-known comedian. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration enacted tougher hours-of-service rules that went into effect in July 2013. One report claimed that the industry would lose $1 billion in lost productivity as a result of these rules, while another concluded the industry would realize almost $500 million in benefit from reduced driver mortality. The new rules have caused considerable controversy and have caused hardships for drivers. As one driver put it, "If the wheels aren't turning, you're not earning."