The U.S. DOT’s Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced that it is seeking public feedback on four specific revisions to the Hours-Of-Service (HOS) regulations effecting commercial truck drivers.
The near 99% implementation of ELD’s has brought faster focus to regulations such as HOS, specifically regulations impacting select trucking sectors. Narrowing in on specific issues impacting all drivers or specific industry sectors opens the opportunity to potentially change rulings at a faster rate with recent data to support the request.
The four specific areas under consideration for revision are:
- Expanding the current 100 air-mile “short-haul” exemption from 12 hours on-duty to 14 hours on-duty, in order to be consistent with the rules for long-haul truck drivers;
- Extending the current 14-hour on-duty limitation by up to two hours when a truck driver encounters adverse driving conditions;
- Revising the current mandatory 30-minute break for truck drivers after 8-hours of continuous driving; and
- Reinstating the option for splitting up the required 10-hour off-duty rest break for drivers operating trucks that are equipped with a sleeper-berth compartment.
Request for feedback from the public will help FMCSA determine if HOS revisions will alleviate unnecessary burdens placed on drivers while maintaining safety on our nation’s highways and roads.
The comment period has been extended through Wednesday, October 10th, 2018. To make your voice heard, visit the Federal Register page > HOS Proposed Rule on 8/23/2018
http://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/08/23/2018-18379/hours-of-service-of-drivers
