Hours of Service Regulation Moves One Step Closer
Posted on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 @ 01:29 PM
Thursday, November 3rd marked yet another step toward finalizing the long-standing and well documented Hours-of-Service (HOS) regulation. Originally scheduled to be published October 28, 2011, the Rule has had a comprehensive history of adjustments dating back to 1995. That said, the most recent delay on the rule was due to a long-running legal dispute in which the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is in the process of resolving. Upon resolution, the HOS Rule will finally be nearing completion.
The most significant changes made to the rule so far have included:
- A reduction in trucker’s total driving time.
- A one-hour break rule.
- A modification to the 34-hour restart.
The one-hour break would require drivers to take time off during the day in order to limit the actual duty time within the 14-hour period to 13. The new restart rule will include two periods between midnight and 6 a.m. only to be used once a week.
Additionally, perhaps the most controversial of regulations in regards to the rule involves a one-hour reduction of the maximum daily driving time from the previous 11 to the newly established 10. These changes are intended to increase safety, however the controversy lies in the beliefs of the trucking and shipping industry that it will ultimately raise costs.
Other changes are not to be disclosed until the publication of the HOS Rule and only a small amount of information was made public:
This rulemaking would propose changes to the hours of service requirements for drivers operating a commercial motor vehicle transporting property. The requirement for this rulemaking was established on Oct. 26, 2009, when Public Citizen et al. (petitioners) and FMCSA entered into a settlement agreement under which petitioners´ petition for judicial review of the Nov. 19, 2008, final rule on drivers´ hours of service will be held in abeyance pending the publication of an NPRM reevaluating the hours of service rule.