(WASHINGTON) – The Teamsters Union stood with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), representatives for highway safety advocates and law enforcement and families of highway accident victims to denounce a series of dangerous provisions that would threaten the safety of the driving public.

This week, the Senate will follow the House and mark up the FY 2016 transportation appropriations bill. The House version (HR 2577) included riders that would lead to drivers spending more time behind the wheel between rest periods and bigger, heavier trucks on our roads. HR 2577 narrowly passed through the House on June 9.

“More than 600,000 of our 1.4 million members start their workday by turning a key in a vehicle,” said Teamsters representative Fred McLuckie. “The road is their workplace, roads that are congested like never before. It is irresponsible to allow larger, heavier trucks on our highways while potentially allowing employers to keep drivers on the road for more than 80 hours a week.”

If special interests pushing the provisions get their way, 39 states would be forced to allow 33-foot double trailers on their highways and hours of service rules would remain permanently rolled-back, eliminating the once-a-week, 34-hour restart, increasing time between rest periods for truck drivers.

“These special interest provisions put profit before safety,” McLuckie said. “The families here today lost loved ones due to driver fatigue and oversized trucks. We owe it to them to fight against these dangerous and irresponsible proposals.”

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.  

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