Hours of Service Major Update
(May 15, 2020) - FMCSA has published the final rule on changes to hours-of-service (HOS) regulations. The new rule is scheduled to become effective September of 2020. The changes reflect some of the sentiments of SC&RA both in formal comments submitted last fall, and in a private meeting between SC&RA leadership and Acting Administrator Jim Mullen in February 2020.
So what do the changes mean for SC&RA members?
Specifically, the final rule:
- Allows more flexibility for the 30-minute rest break rule by requiring a break after eight hours of consecutive driving and allowing the break to be satisfied by a driver using “on-duty, not driving” status, rather than “off-duty” status.
- Modifies the split sleeper berth exception to allow drivers to divide their required 10 hours off duty into two periods: an 8/2 split or a 7/3 split. Neither period would count against the driver’s 14-hour driving window.
- Modifies the adverse driving conditions exception by extending by two hours the maximum window during which driving is permitted.
- Changes the short haul exception available to certain 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.
To view an easy-to-read chart comparing the old and new HOS regulations, click
here.