Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration US Hours of Service Changes

On June 1, 2020, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) revised the US hours of service (HOS) regulations to provide greater flexibility for drivers without affecting safety. The new HOS regulations go into effect on September 29, 2020 at 12:01AM.

The changes include:

• Short-haul Exception
  • Expands the short-haul exception to 150 air-miles and allows a 14-hour work shift to take place as part of the exception
• Adverse Driving Conditions Exception
  • Expands the driving window during adverse driving conditions by up to an additional 2 hours
• 30-Minute Break Requirement
  • Requires a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving time (instead of on-duty time) and allows an on-duty/not driving period to qualify as the required break
• Sleeper Berth Provision
  • Modifies the sleeper berth exception to allow a driver to meet the 10-hour minimum off-duty requirement by spending at least 7, rather than at least 8 hours of that period in the berth, and a minimum off-duty period of at least 2 hours spent inside or outside the berth, provided the two periods total at least 10 hours, and that neither qualify period counts against the 14-hour driving window

Canada Cartage uses Omnitracs XRS.  These changes will automatically come into effect on September 29, 2020 at 12:01AM within the XRS APP to ensure compliance with the new regulations.