Here’s what truckers have to say about FMCSA’s hours-of-service flexibility pilots

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is gearing up for two major pilot programs to study increased hours-of-service (HOS) flexibility for commercial vehicle drivers, and many truckers and trucking industry stakeholders are sharing their thoughts on how the regulations could be changed for the better.

On September 15, USDOT announced the following two Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) pilot programs designed to explore the impact of increased HOS flexibility on safety and fatigue levels for commercial vehicle drivers:

1. Split Duty Period pilot program: This will allow participating drivers to pause their 14-hour “driving window” for no less than 30 minutes and no more than three hours. The program seeks to collect data and assess whether added flexibility can maintain or improve safety outcomes. 
2. Flexible Sleeper Berth pilot program: This will explore additional sleeper berth split options beyond the current “8/2” and “7/3” configurations. FMCSA will test the safety implications of allowing drivers to divide their 10-hour off-duty requirement into “6/4” and “5/5” split periods. The research will examine how these alternatives affect driver fatigue and overall safety performance in order to determine whether a wider range of rest options could benefit both drivers and the motoring public.

More than 500 truck drivers will be recruited to join the pilots, which will kick off following protocol development in early 2026.

The FMCSA is currently accepting public comment on the pilot programs, and several truck drivers have chimed in to share ideas on how HOS could be updated and improved.

Split Sleeper Berth Time Pilot Comments

• “They could make it so easy and safer, all the way around. Not many drivers anymore want to run as hard as we used to. That being said, simple rules. 16 hour shift, that’s legal for officers, doctors, the list can go on and on. Drivers have 16 hrs to do what they need to. A 15min pre trip, a 30 min break between 4 and 12 hrs and a post trip. If you spend 5 hrs in a dock, fine, you still have time to get somewhere safely for a 10hr break. If a driver only wants to work 12 hrs a day, fine, take a 10 and the 16 restarts. If a driver is on a long run, drive a total of 15 hrs, fine. I believe the safety on the road will be better as drivers dont need to race the clock all the time. It will also decrease the demand for more drivers.”
• “Many drivers in today’s market deliver regionally. The 11 hours of service mandates a reset after the driver goes over 5.5 hours one way, otherwise the driver would not have enough time to get back. Many of those drivers are stuck in busy areas such as NY city, Philadelphia, NJ, CT, Boston area without a place to park. The proposed change would allow for the driver to reset after7 or 8 hours sleeper and head straight home to complete his off duty at a comfort of his own home instead of in a busy metropolitan area. The 10 hour reset makes sense for a driver living on a road. It does not make sense for a regional driver who goes back and forth and sleeps at home every other day.”
• “I would like to see this change to split sleeper implemented with exception that a 1/9 be disallowed. In reality one hour is not enough rest & 9 hours is excessive to expect. Furthermore, although it is called “split sleeper”, off-duty time should count as part of the “split” as well. In specific example that resting does not always just mean in the sleeper compartment. Resting could be taking a shower, eating a meal or sitting somewhere other than the driving compartment of the truck.”
• “Stop the clock when the truck stops no matter what, on duty or off duty. Take the 10 hour consecutive away to rest so your clock resets. Go back to 8 hours off. No one needs to lay around for ten hours; the average person doesn’t. If we need more time to reset lets us make that choice. If you want people to get back into this career, you need to cut the regulations way back.”

You can leave your own comment for this pilot for FMCSA online at this link.

Pause Their 14-Hour Driving Window Pilot Comments

• “The 14 hour duty line stops and moves forward with me as my day progresses. The Split sleeper got good when the 7/3 split was put on, now it’s gonna get even better with the 6/4 and 5/5 because as I get older with age, my sleep pattern changes and sometimes after 5 or 6 hours of sleep I am just FULLY awake. But then there are days when I use the split sleeper which ever one that may be, that I need a full 10 hours of sleep to be able to catch up because of the usage of the split sleeper option, so it does catch up, but usually takes one or two days. Then I need a full reset. So my point is that my sleep patterns fluctuate depending on different things like appointment times and the breaks I take in between loads.”
• “The current 14 hour 30 min rule is inflexible. If a driver is drowsy instead of taking a power nap and loosing that time they push thru. The 30 min only encourages poor eating choices from fast food and a shortened rest break instead of a sit down meal and a break from driving.”
• “I believe the option to pause the 14-hour driving window could make a real difference. It would give drivers a safe way to take a break when they’re stuck at a shipper or receiver, or to rest if they feel tired, without losing valuable working time. That flexibility could reduce fatigue, help them avoid rushing, and support better health and safety overall. I also appreciate that the pilot includes safeguards to track how the pause is used and to watch for pressure from shippers or carriers. I encourage FMCSA to keep that oversight strong so the pause truly serves drivers, not just others in the supply chain.”
• “As a Canadian company running over-the-road in the U.S. we strongly support this initiative for several reasons:
  1) This would allow drivers the flexibility to rest when they feel the need allowing thus reducing pressure to drive out their hours. 
  2) Drivers would be able to schedule driving time around rush hours reducing stress and pressure on the driver and potentially even reducing congestion by taking some trucks off the road at peak times.
  3) This would work towards better harmonization of U.S. and Canadian Hours of Service.”
• “The proposed ruled for pausing the 14-hour clock by using Off-Duty has been done before. While it did provide for drivers working more efficiently, it did enable companies to exploit those splits when a driver did not want to utilize those splits, forcing drivers to drive while fatigued. Which is against Section 398.4 of the FMCSA Regulations. While this is a double-edged sword it is also on the driver to recognize this and do what is safe in those situations. Many companies will expect drivers to be awake for over 24 hours due to the split that is utilized. For example, a driver is being unloaded in a dock while “off duty” then expected to pick up another load and drive under time constraints when the driver has not had proper rest. The driver thinks he must comply with dispatch otherwise he will be “punished” with a lowered paycheck, making it difficult to provide for their family. I have witnessed this before and have been retaliated against for this same action. Where this will benefit everyone is when the companies allow the driver to do what is best for themselves and wait out rush hours around cities to relieve congestion and be able to drive safer than being in heavy traffic. it would also help if the shippers and receivers would consider the driver’s time too.”

You can leave your own comment on this pilot for FMCSA online at this link.