In March 2000, the Mexican government amended its regulations to require the use of records of duty status (RODS) or logbooks by all drivers working for motor carriers authorized to operate on Federal roads in Mexico.

Prior to the 2000 amendment, RODS were only required of drivers transporting hazardous materials.

The minimum information that must be recorded in the RODS is as follows:

1. The motor carrier’s name and address;
2. Motor carrier service classification;
3. Vehicle make/year/license plate tag;
4. RODS completion date;
5. Driver name;
6. Driver license number and expiration date;
7. Origin/destination/route;
8. Hours for departure/arrival/driving/ on-duty without driving;
9. Exception cases when driver may exceed hour-of-service limits; and,
10. Driver and carrier representative signatures.

Under Mexican labor law, drivers daily hours of service are limited to 8 hours for the day shift (6 a.m.–8 p.m.), 7 hours for the night shift (8 p.m.–6 a.m.) and 7.5 hours for a mixed shift.

During a continuous work day, workers must rest for at least one half hour and if the worker cannot leave the workplace for rest or meal breaks, the corresponding time must be counted as part of the hours of service. Drivers may accumulate daily overtime of up to three hours, but only three times a week (maximum 9 hours per week total). Drivers must be paid double their hourly rate for overtime.

DGAF and General Directorship of Protection and Preventive Medicine in Transportation (DGPMPT) inspectors, with the assistance of the Federal Preventive Police (PFP), enforce
Mexico’s driver hours-of-service logbook regulations. Drivers are required to carry the hours of service logbooks for the last seven days.

DGPMPT physicians inspect drivers for fatigue symptoms at terminals and the roadside. At the carrier site, DGAF inspectors audit carrier drivers’ logbooks for the last 60 days during a carrier compliance review.

Mexico-domiciled drivers operating in the U.S. must be able to produce upon the demand of a Federal or State enforcement official, an up-to-date record of duty status (RODS) or ‘‘log book’’ that accounts for the duty status for the current day, and the previous 7
days, unless the driver is covered by the 100 air-mile radius exception under 49 CFR 395.1(e)(1), an exception that applies to drivers of all carriers, foreign and domestic.

The RODS must cover the required time periods even if the driver was operating in Mexico during those periods. Federal and State enforcement personnel inspect the RODS during roadside inspections, including inspections at ports of entry, and during on-site reviews at motor carriers’ facilities.