FMCSA: Proposed hours-of-service rule changes expected June 7

DOT received more than 5,000 public responses when seeking comments

Posted May 2, 2019

The eagerly-awaited changes to the hours-of-service (HOS) rules in the trucking industry are expected to be announced as soon as Friday, June 7, in the Federal Register.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) began looking for input on best ways to add more flexibility to the HOS rules on August 23, 2018, and public comments on the changes were accepted through October 10, 2018. More than 5,200 public comments were submitted.

A proposed version of the rule was sent to the Office of Management and Budget for review in late March, where it remained as of Wednesday, May 1.

The FMCSA sought comments on the following issues with the HOS rules:

Extending the maximum workday to 14 hours for 100-air mile drivers;
Extending the 14-hour limit to 16 hours when a driver encounters adverse driving conditions;
Revising or even eliminating the 30-minute rest break provision;
Restoring flexibility to the split-sleeper-berth provision; and
Petitions from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and Trucker Nation on rest breaks and the 14-hour rule.

Upon publication in the Federal Register, the public will have 45 days to comment on the changes before the FMCSA begins writing the final version.

J. J. Keller® Encompass® Fleet Management System - the industry's most versatile online tool for improving driver and vehicle compliance.

J. J. Keller's FREE Transportation SafetyClicks™ email newsletter brings quick-read safety and compliance news right to your email box.

Sign up to receive Transport SafetyClicks™.