New HOS Rules

Starting September 29th 12:00 the new HOS truck driving rules are going to be in play.

The rules will take effect at the same time without taking into consideration what time zone you are in - in other words they won't go into effect earlier for commercial truck drivers in other timezones. For example, a truck driver on the West Coast will start to operate under the new rules at 9 p.m. Sept 28

The new HOS regulations are as follow:

1. CMV Short-Haul Exemption - Extends the maximum duty period allowed under the short-haul exception to 14 hours and to 150 air miles.
2. Adverse Driving Conditions - Allows a driver to extend the maximum "driving window' by up to 2 hours during adverse driving conditions.
3. 30 Minute Break - Required a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving time (instead of on-duty time) and allows on-duty / not driving periods to qualify as breaks.
4. Split-Sleeper Berth - Modifies the sleeper -berth exception to allow drivers to split their required 10 hours off duty into two periods: an 8/2 split, and a 7/3 split-with neither period counting against the driver's 14-hour driving window.

You can read the HOS Final Rule Fact Sheets issued by FMCSA here.

But what kind of impact will those changes have:

The CMV Short-Haul Exemption change will improve safety and flexibility by increasing the number of drivers able to take advantage of the short-haul exception.

The Adverse Driving Condition change will Improve the safety and flexibility by allowing drivers time to park and wait out the adverse condition or to drive slowly through it - which has the potential to decrease truck crash risk.

The 30 Minute Break rule change will improve the safety and flexibility for drivers by increasing on-duty / non-driving time by up to 30minutes - allowing drivers to reach their destination easier.

Split-Sleeper Berth rule change will improve the safety and flexibility for drivers by potentially increasing the use of sleeper berth provision because drivers using a berth have additional hours to complete 11 hours of driving.

One of the proposed rules that did not make the final cut in the new HOS regulations was - the truck drivers were allowed an off-duty break for at least 30 minutes, but no more than three hours, that would pause a truck driver's 14-hours on-duty windows, provided the driver takes 10 consecutive hours off-duty at the end of the work shift. However, FMCSA recently proposed a pilot program to study the effects of allowing drivers to pause their on-duty driving period with one off-duty period up to three hours that hopefully will be included in the next HOS rules update.

Who Is Required to Follow HOS Rules

The FMCSA says that commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers must follow the HOS rules. The agency lists a CMV as a vehicle that is used as part of a business and in interstate commerce. It also includes any asset that fits the following criteria:

1. Weighs more than 10,001 pounds.
2. Has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more.
3. Is designed or used to transport 16 or more passengers (including the commercial truck driver) not for compensation.
4. Is designed or used to transport nine or more passengers (including the commercial truck driver) for compensation.
5. Is transporting hazardous materials in a quantity requiring placards.

The FMCSA provides HOS resources for drivers and fleets on its website, including webinars, FAQs, and fact sheets.

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