From the Journal of Commerce:

A new rule protecting U.S. truck drivers from dispatchers and others who encourage them to violate federal regulations to meet unrealistic delivery deadlines may be on the books as soon as next month, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. But an FMCSA official and at least two shipping executives say it’s a resolution to what may never have been a significant problem in the industry to begin with.

Under a driver coercion regulation now on the federal drawing board, shippers or consignees could be accused of “coercing” drivers to violate federal safety rules in order to make on-time delivery, and that coercion will carry stiff financial penalties.

But, according to Jack Van Steenburg, FMCSA’s assistant administrator and chief safety officer, the federal agency sees on average fewer than 10 coercion complaints each month.

More at the Journal of Commerce