On Wednesday morning, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) debuted their long-awaited changes to Hours of Service (HOS) regulations, which sparked a firestorm of comments on trucking social media groups.
One of the biggest of the proposed HOS changes is the option to stop the 14 hour clock for up to three hours of off-duty time, allowing the driver to extend his amount of available on-duty time. The FMCSA also proposed minor changes to the split sleeper berth rules that would allow a driver to split their time by 7 and 3 hours in addition to the current 8 and 2 hour split. The FMCSA also made slight modifications to the 30 minute break rule (which many drivers were hoping would go away entirely). For a full list of the proposed changes, you can click here.
Though the FMCSA had promised drivers for months that the new HOS regulations would provide them with greater flexibility and freedom, many social media users were frustrated and underwhelmed by the changes. Others saw the changes as a step in the right direction, particularly for local drivers. Yet another group of drivers was simply confused by the complicated proposal.
See what drivers are saying below.
Following the 45 day comment period, it will likely take several more months before the FMCSA implements the new HOS changes.