New Trucking Hours of Service Rules Proposed

The Trump administration Wednesday proposed changes to hours of service rules for commercial vehicle drives. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published the proposal seeking to give drivers “more flexibility while maintaining the safety limits on driving time.” The proposal is separate from the ongoing comment period for livestock haulers. The agency is accepting comments until the end of September to determine what should be considered livestock or an agricultural commodity. Currently, states can determine when drivers transporting agricultural commodities, including livestock, are exempt from the HOS requirements, within a 150-mile radius of the source. Among the changes to the overall rule proposed this week, the rules would increase flexibility regarding mandated breaks. The proposal also modifies the adverse driving conditions exception through extending by two hours the maximum window during which driving is permitted. The proposed rule would not increase driving time and would continue to prevent operators from driving for more than eight consecutive hours without at least a 30-minute change in duty status.