We see them every day on our commutes, huge eighteen wheelers cruising down the highway at high speeds. In the past few weeks I’ve heard of multiple “overturned tractor trailer” incidents in traffic reports that have caused major traffic jams and this weekend’s tragic accident involving comedian Tracy Morgan is rumored to have been caused by a drowsy truck driver. Drowsy driving can affect anyone but for those workers who drive long hours for a living it is an everyday risk. Now a regulation meant to protect drivers may be on it’s way out.

Last week the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to relax the cap on the hours that truck drivers are allowed to put in each week, though some believe that could lead to dangerous situations where truck drivers are falling asleep behind the wheel of their truck. The industry would be able to go back to allowing drivers to drive 82 hours a week.

Opponents of the new bill point to the number of crashes caused by these trucks- in 2012 there were 3,912 fatalities. However, supporters of the bill said that the initial cap on hours was not based on solid research and may have caused more problems than it solved. The provision that was enacted last year mandated that drivers be off the road from 1 a.m. until 5 a.m. on two consecutive days as part of their 34 hour “restart” time off if they were working 70 hour weeks. It was supposed to allow truck drivers to get enough sleep.

Sponsors of the bill said that as a result of the limit imposed last year, truck drivers were forced onto major highways during the day and at busy travel times, which may have created an even bigger issue for the drivers and jammed up traffic.

Now the Senate will vote to suspend the limit for a year and evaluate the impact that might have on roadways and crashes. The bill must still pass the Senate floor before it takes effect.