The FMCSA has finally released the long anticipated proposed changes to the Hours of Service regulations!
At first glance, these proposed regulatory changes appear to be wonderful and should provide much needed relief to truckers who are still struggling to manage in a world of ELD (Electronic Logging Devices).
These changes will be published tomorrow in the Federal Register.
A summary of the relevant proposed changes to 49 CFR PART 395 are listed below:
30-Minute Rest Break Provision: The break will be required after 8 hours of driving time (as compared to 8 hours after coming on duty) and will be logged as on-duty, not driving (as compared to previously being off-duty).
Split Sleeper Berth Provision: 7/3 hour splits would now be allowed (previously only an 8/2 split was allowed).
Adverse Driving Conditions: On-duty time may be extended to accommodate 2 additional hours of driving when encountering adverse conditions. (Further clarification on adverse conditions has been requested.)
Short-Haul Exception to Record of Duty Status for CDL Drivers: Short haul CDL drivers will be able to operate within a 150 air-mile radius and up to 14 hours (previously 100 air miles and 12 hours).
14 Hour On-Duty Period: A driver would be allowed to “pause” his or her 14 hour on-duty period once, up to 3 hours during the duty day period.
The U.S. DOT is seeking comment on these proposed changes over the next 45 days.
Please note: These proposed Hours of Service changes are not yet final.
These changes should create much more flexibility in the driver’s ability to manage his or her hours by allowing the driver to adjust to loading/unloading delays, traffic delays, and other common issues that they face.
If you need help managing your fleet’s Hours of Service or any other compliance areas, please give us a call at 1-855-211-5550 or check out our safety management program at www.MySafetyManager.com.
