New York Times Investigate Federal Motor Carrier Rules - December 04, 2006

The New York Times began a series of investigative reports on how regulation impacts our daily lives with a lengthy article on federal transportation and motor carrier safety rules.

In decisions that had the support of the White House, the motor carrier agency has eased the rules on truckers' work hours, rejected proposals for electronic monitoring to combat widespread cheating on drivers' logs and resisted calls for more rigorous driver training.

While applauded by the industry, those decisions have been subject to withering criticism by federal appeals court panels in Washington who say they ignore government safety studies and put the industry's economic interests ahead of public safety.

Although FedEx is not mentioned in the piece, the general issues raised in the report will be immediately recognized by anyone who follows the company.