Truckers have been "American heroes" and have received some long overdue deregulation of their driving hours this week by the Trump administration, which they have called for amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao on Newsmax TV.
"They really are our American heroes," Chao told Wednesday's "Spicer and Co." "They keep supply chain going, they get our store shelves stocked, they make sure the medical equipment gets where it needed to go, so they are just terrific. What they really want is more flexibility."
The driving restrictions might have slowed down some deliveries amid the pandemic because of regulations in place since 1937, Chao added to host Sean Spicer.
"The department issued for the first time since 1937 greater flexibility for drivers, so when they are faced with increased traffic, congestion, problems with weather that will cause delays, the rules and regulations that govern how many hours they can drive will not be so prescriptive during a pandemic crisis such as we are in now," she added.
"So these new regulations give the drivers greeted flexibility so they can take a rest, they can pull over at a time when they feel they need the rest, instead of them being dictated to."
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Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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