On June 1, 2020, FMCSA revised the hours of service (HOS) regulations to provide greater flexibility for drivers without adversely affecting safety. Motor carriers are required to comply with the new HOS regulations starting on September 29, 2020, not before.
Here are some of the key points of the new regulations, which affect the following four provisions.
Short-Haul Provision – Extends the short-haul provision from 100 air mile radius to 150 air mile radius and extends the maximum duty period from 12 hours to 14 hours.
Benefits
- Reduces the ELD compliance for some drivers
- Increases driver productivity
- Aligns the local driver HOS requirements with the Over the Road Driver requirements
Adverse Driving Conditions – Extends the maximum driving time by 2 hours.
Benefits
- Allows driver to encountering adverse weather conditions to drive additional hours without being in violation of HOS maximum drive time requirements
30 Minute Break – Requires the 30-minute break to be taken before 8 hours of drive time.
Benefits
- Reduces the potential for driver to take two 30-minute breaks if the first break was taken too early
- Eliminates the confusion on when the 30-minute break must be taken
Split Sleeper Berth – Modifies Sleeper Berth requirements to 2 periods where 1 segment is a minimum of 2 hours (sleeper berth or off-duty) and the other segment is at least 7 hours (sleeper berth) that total 10 hours or more, with the 2 hour segment not counting towards the driver’s 14-hour rule.
Benefits
- Increases driver productivity as the two (2) hour segment does not affect the driver’s 14-hour day
- Increases driver productivity by reducing the longer sleeper berth time requirement by one (1) hour
The FMCSA has a number of resources to help carriers understand the new rule, including a webinar.
The new rule grants increased flexibility to drivers. FMCSA officials waded through 8,000 public comments, gathered both online and through in-person meetings, as they formed the final rule.
As always, contact us at (866) 668-6247 if you have specific questions.
