Hours of Service Rules Changed for Commercial Truck Drivers

Posted on May 26. 2020

By: ClassADrivers.com

Hours of Service (HOS), the rules that determine how long a trucker can drive, have long been a hassle for truck drivers. Dictating when drivers can rest or take meal breaks, these regulations often put undue burden and stress on drivers. And they can even reduce earnings.

When Electronic Logging Devices, or ELDs, became mandatory, these devices eliminated any hope for flexibility for drivers. As a result, drivers have protested and made a lot of noise about these rigid rules.

And now, the FMCSA is changing the rules. Did drivers get what they want? Let’s find out.

FMCSA’s New Ruling

Back in 2018, the FMCSA established the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, or ANPRM, to improve communication between the administration and those impacted by them.Using this platform, over 8,000 comments were generated by stakeholders.

Upon evaluating the content at the end of the suggestion period back in 2019, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or FMCSA, decided to revisit their 2017 HOS ruling. As a result, on May 14th the following revisions were made.

  • Half-hour break rule more flexible: Drivers are required to take a half hour break after driving for 8 hours, changed from 8 hours of being on-duty.
  • Sleeper-berth exception changed: truckers may split 10-hour off-duty into either an 8/2 hour or a 7/3 hour period (with 8 or 7 hours inside the berth and 2 or 3 outside). This will not count against the 14-hour driving window.
  • Adverse driving conditions exception updated: maximum driving window extended by two hours if invoked.
  • Short-haul exception increased: lengthens maximum on-duty period to 14-hours and increases operating distance to 150 air miles

To recap, truckers are required to take a half-hour break after 8-hours of driving time; 10-hour rest periods may be split up; and the amount of driving hours may be extended in poor weather by two hours.

These may not be the radical change in rules that some commercial truck drivers are hoping for, but they area good start to give drivers more flexibility out on the road.

According to Jim Mullen, Acting Administrator of FMCSA,“These updated hours of service rules are based on the thousands of comments we received from the American people. These reforms will improve safety on America’s roadways and strengthen the nation’s motor carrier industry.”

When the Rules Go Into Effect

After making the announcement, the new rulings are reported to take a few days to be added to the Federal Register. Once this upload occurs, the new HOS rules will go into effect after 120 days. This delay is likely being done to evaluate the impact the changes may have on the industry, as well as how they affect businesses.

That said, the FMCSA estimates the new HOS rules generate approximately $274 million in cost savings each year. For more information about the updated HOS rules, go here.