WASHINGTON The American Trucking Associations has sued to overturn the new hours-of-service rule for truck drivers.

The ATA asked the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to set aside the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rule as arbitrary and capricious.

"We regret that FMCSA and the Obama administration have put ATA and its member companies in a position to take this legal action," said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves in a statement.

"The rules that have been in place since 2004 have contributed to unprecedented improvement in highway safety. The law is clear about what steps FMCSA must undertake to change the rules and we cannot allow this rulemaking, which was fueled by changed assumptions and analyses that do not meet the required legal standards, to remain unchallenged."

ATA said the agency overstated the safety benefits of the new rule, and that the costs outweigh the claimed benefits.

"We need this issue to be resolved in a credible manner, taking into account the undisputed crash reduction since 2004, so we can focus limited government and industry resources on safety initiatives that will have a far greater impact on highway safety," Graves said.

Although the revised rule that was announced early this year preserves the 11-hour limit on driving time, in general its changes tighten the current rule for truckers, which went into effect eight years ago.

The new rule tightens the 34-hour restart provision by limiting its use to one time a week and requiring at least two periods of rest between 1 and 5 a.m.

The agency said the once-a-week restriction allows drivers to work long hours (81 hours) in one week but requires them to compensate with extra time off the following week.

"The purpose of the rule change is to limit work to no more than 70 hours a week on average," the agency said. "Working long daily and weekly hours on a continuing basis is associated with chronic fatigue, a high risk of crashes, and a number of serious chronic health conditions."

The only positive ATA sees in the rule is the agency's decision to push the effective date out 18 months for most of the rule, to July 1, 2013.

Truck safety advocacy groups and the Teamsters union have yet to say if they will renew their own legal action against the new rule, although they have indicated strongly they will.

It was their suit against the rule that pushed the FMCSA to rewrite the rule. The key issue for the Teamsters and safety groups is the 11-hour daily driving limit.