Four major HOS rules that will take effect on September 29th

Published on: September 3, 2020

We are taking a look at Four major HOS rules that will take effect on September 29th. According to Joseph DeLorenzo, associate administrator for enforcement at the FMCSA - New rules are mainly focused on highway safety while giving drivers a lot of flexibility. Four main areas are covered. Loosening restrictions for the short-haul exception, adverse driving conditions, 30-minute break, and the sleeper berth provision.

The four main FMCSA updates to HOS rules:

Expands the short-haul exception from 100 to 150 air-miles and extends permitted work shift from 12 to 14 hours;
Expands the driving window during adverse driving conditions by up to two more hours;
Requires a 30-minute break after eight hours of driving time (instead of on-duty time) and allows an on-duty/not driving period to qualify as the required break;
Modifies the sleeper berth exception to allow a driver to meet the 10-hour minimum off-duty requirement by spending at least seven hours — rather than at least eight hours — of that period in the berth and a minimum off-duty period of at least 2 hours spent inside or outside of the berth, provided the two periods total at least 10 hours, and that neither qualifying period counts against the 14-hour driving window.

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