The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said Tuesday it is seeking public comment on proposed revisions of four areas of current hours-of-service regulations.
The advance notice of proposed rulemaking, which will be posted in the Federal Register, is in response to widespread concerns regarding HOS and seeks feedback from the public to determine if revisions may alleviate unnecessary burdens placed on drivers, the FMCSA explained. The comment period will be open for 30 days.
The four areas under consideration for revision include:
• Expanding the current 100 air-mile short-haul exemption from 12 hours on duty to 14 hours on duty;
• Extending the current 14-hour on-duty limitation by up to two hours when a truck driver encounters adverse driving conditions;
• Revising the current mandatory 30-minute break for truck drivers after eight hours of continuous driving;
• And reinstating the option for splitting up the required 10-hour off-duty rest break for drivers operating trucks that have a sleeper-berth compartment.
Public comment and relevant data also will be accepted on two recently submitted petitions requesting regulatory relief from HOS rules. One filed by the Owner-Operators Independent Drivers Association pertains to the 14-hour on-duty limitation. The other, which was filed by TruckerNation, pertains to the 10-hour off-duty requirement.
The first in a series of public listening sessions on the ANPRM will take place Friday in Dallas.