Ready for the HOS Rules Changes?

Updates based off feedback from commercial drivers go into effect Sept. 29; FMCSA to form an advisory committee of 20-25 CMV drivers.

By Al Muskewitz

A couple of new Hours of Service rules go into effect starting Sept. 29. Are you ready for them?

Most of them remain the same, but there are a few that although small could have a big impact on a driver’s schedule. The changes are being legally challenged, but the FMCSA say they are going forward.

Here are the changes:

A driver’s 30-minute break can be fulfilled by any non-driving time. It no longer needs to be non-driving, off-duty time.

Drivers are now permitted to take a 7/3 split in their mandatory 10-our off-time time, in addition to an 8/2 split. The off-duty time doesn’t count against the 14-hour clock.

The adverse driving conditions exemption has been extended by two hours.

The short-haul exemption now allows drivers operating within 150 air miles of their base to drive without keeping record of their duty status. They are allowed a 14-hour on-duty limit.

The updates were based on feedback from commercial drivers, prompting the FMCSA to form an advisory committee comprised solely of commercial drivers.

Drivers for years have wanted a say in the issues that impact their livelihoods. Now they have the chance.

The FMCSA announced last week it is adding a group of 20-25 working drivers from all sectors of the trucking industry to a new subcommittee of the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee. The panel will provide direct feedback to the authority on issues such as safety, hours of service, training, parking and the driver experience.

“The Department of Transportation and this Administration believe in listening to our drivers and hearing their concerns directly,” FMCSA deputy administrator Wiley Deck said. “We know that many of the solutions to the challenges we face don’t come from Washington, they come from the hard-working men and women who are behind the wheel all over our nation.”

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao said the input of drivers and other CMV operators “is essential to strengthening safety on the roads.”

The advisory committee was initially chartered by the DOT on Sept. 8, 2006. The current charter runs through Sept. 27, 2021. 

Al Muskewitz is Editor of Wright Media. He can be reached at musky@wrightmediacorp.com