ARLINGTON, Va. – Echoing the sentiments of most truckers, a bipartisan group of U.S. legislators have called on the Obama administration to abandon its proposed hours-of-service changes and retain the current, effective safety rules.

"The rules currently in place are working well and do not need to be changed," 122 Congressmen and Senators wrote to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "Since the current rules were implemented seven years ago, the trucking industry’s safety performance has improved at an unprecedented rate."

According to the American Trucking Associations, the letter notes that since the rules went into effect in 2004, the number of fatal and injury crashes involving large trucks have fallen to historic lows, even as trucks hauling the nation’s food, fuel, medicine and other goods have driven almost 10 billion more miles.

"If the proposed changes are put in place, companies will be forced to increase the number of trucks on the road necessary for delivering the same amount of freight; adding to final product costs and increasing congestion on our nation’s highways," the letter stated.

And "such complexity will only serve to hamper both industry compliance and motor carrier enforcement."

News of the letter comes out days after a leading sleep expert whose scientific studies were used by the DOT to underpin the proposed changes, said the government agency misapplied those findings and misused his research.

His report reinforced claims made by the ATA that the government is spinning safety data and sleep science research to justify its proposed changes.

“It is increasingly clear that this proposal is the result of political pressure and not a fair interpretation of trucking’s safety record," said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves in a press release. "ATA appreciates that some politicians are basing their views not on politics, but on the hard evidence that the current hours-of-service rules are working."