ARLINGTON, VA. —  The American Trucking Associations (ATA) said yesterday that the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) suggested changes to driver-vehicle inspection reporting requirements will give the industry a much-needed reduction in paperwork.

“ATA appreciates the Obama Administration’s proposal to provide relief on a longstanding paperwork-related burden in the trucking industry,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves.

While this step would only provide modest relief to drivers and carriers, Graves says that he’s optimistic that it points to recently-appointed Secreatary Foxx’s “willingness to provide reasonable and appropriate relief to the industry and he will quickly act to provide relief on more substantive issues.”

Topping that list of “substantive issues” are: a fair CSA crash accountability process; unnecessary restrictions on the new rest break and restart provisions of the hours of service rules and much needed sleeper berth flexibility to better facilitate driver rest.

The ATA said they are also encouraging Secretary Foxx to work with his yet-unnamed counterpart at the Department of Homeland Security to “provide Congressionally-directed relief on redundant security background checks to which tens of thousands of professional drivers are currently subjected.”

“ATA believes in sensible, data-driven regulations,” Graves said, “and we hope we can count on Secretary Foxx to be guided by evidence and scientific research to review, and if necessary, revise the rules of the road for our industry.”