The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSA) has issued a proposed rule revising the hours-of-service requirements for commercial truck drivers, an effort intended to reduce fatigue and increase safety. The rule is in response to a federal court settlement requiring FMSA to review and publish a final rule by July.

The proposed rule:

• Requires drivers to take at least 34 consecutive hours off duty between a 60-70 hour work week. The restart period must include two consecutive off-duty periods from midnight to 6:00 a.m. Drivers would be allowed to use this restart only once during a seven day period.
• Requires commercial truck drivers to complete all driving within a 14 hour workday, and to complete all on-duty work-related activities within 13 hours to allow for a least a one hour break. It leaves open for comment whether drivers would be limited to 10 or 11 hours of driving, although FMSA currently favors a 10-hour limit.
• Includes civil penalties and fines of up to $27,500 for each offense for drivers, and trucking companies who allow their drivers to violate the limits, would face penalties of up to $11,000 for each offense.
• Provides the option of extending a driver’s daily shift to 16 hours twice a week to accommodate for issues such as loading and unloading and allowing drivers to count some time spent parked in their trucks toward off duty hours.

MHI is planning to comment on the proposed rule and would like to hear from members about the direct impact the proposed changes will have on your business.

Click here to view the proposed rule.

Please direct any comments or questions to Lois Starkey at (703) 558-0654 or lstarkey@mhghome.org by February 23.