The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has extended the public comment period on proposed changes to hours-of-service regulations until Oct. 10.
The FMCSA said it extended the deadline, which had been next Monday, because of requests from a number of organizations, including the American Trucking Association, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, National Pork Producers Council and National Tank Truck Carriers Inc.
The four areas under consideration for revision are:
• 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.
More information on proposed changes to hours-of-service rules and how to submit comments may be obtained from the Federal Register.