1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Responsible and Effective Standards for Truckers Act or the REST Act . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) The livelihood and personal well-being of professional drivers is dependent on the safe operation of a commercial motor vehicle. (2) The current hours of service requirements for professional drivers, including the 30-minute break rule, fail to reflect the realities of the trucking industry. (3) Professional drivers consistently identify the current hours of service requirements as counterproductive and an impediment to improving highway safety. (4) The rigid nature of the current hours of service requirements often compel professional drivers to be on the road when they are tired or fatigued, during rush hour traffic or other periods of highway congestion, during adverse weather conditions, or when they are simply not feeling well. (5) The current hours of service requirements have not resulted in statistical improvements to highway safety. (6) Rather than decrease, the total number of crashes involving large trucks, as well as fatal crashes involving large trucks, has increased since the introduction of the current hours of service requirements. (7) Greater flexibility in hours of service requirements would better allow professional drivers to rest when they feel it appropriate and avoid congestion, adverse weather conditions, or other road conditions that decrease safety. (8) The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has noted the majority of sleep studies demonstrate that well-timed sleep has either a positive or no effect on subsequent neurobehavioral performance. (9) The current maximum driving time and minimum rest period for professional drivers remain intact. (10) The lack of flexibility in the current hours of service requirements, coupled with additional federal regulations, has worsened the truck parking crisis. (11) Federal hours of service requirements should improve highway safety for all users. 3. Flexibility in hours of service