Time is running out to submit your comments on HOS changes

There is only one week left to submit your comments to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) on their proposed changes to Hours of Service regulations.

The FMCSA is still accepting public comments on Hours of Service regulation changes now through October 21. The agency published an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making on Hours of Service regulations in August 2019.

As of October 15, the FMCSA has received 7,247 comments on the proposed changes.

You can view a brief rundown of the proposed changes below.

• The Agency proposes to increase safety and flexibility for the 30 minute break rule by tying the break requirement to eight hours of driving time without an interruption for at least 30 minutes, and allowing the break to be satisfied by a driver using on duty, not driving status, rather than off duty. 
   
• The Agency proposes to modify the sleeper-berth exception to allow drivers to split their required 10 hours off duty into two periods: one period of at least seven consecutive hours in the sleeper berth and the other period of not less than two consecutive hours, either off duty or in the sleeper berth. Neither period would count against the driver’s 14‑hour driving window.
   
• The Agency proposes to allow one off-duty break of at least 30 minutes, but not more than three hours, that would pause a truck driver’s 14-hour driving window, provided the driver takes 10 consecutive hours off-duty at the end of the work shift.
   
• The Agency proposes to modify the adverse driving conditions exception by extending by two hours the maximum window during which driving is permitted.
   
• The Agency proposes a change to the short-haul exception available to certain commercial drivers by lengthening the drivers’ maximum on‑duty period from 12 to 14 hours and extending the distance limit within which the driver may operate from 100 air miles to 150 air miles.

After the comment period closes on October 21, the FMCSA will review those comments and take them into consideration before publishing a Final Rule on HOS. The publication of the Final Rule could take several months. After the publication of the Final Rule, it could take another year before the HOS changes are actually implemented.

You can click here to submit your comment online.