Action
Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM); request for comments.
Summary
The FMCSA is proposing to revise its hours-of-service (HOS) regulations to require motor carriers to provide drivers with better opportunities to obtain sleep, and thereby reduce the risk of drivers operating commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) while drowsy, tired, or fatigued to reduce crashes involving these drivers. This action is necessary because the FMCSA estimates that 755 fatalities and 19,705 injuries occur each year on the Nation's roads because of drowsy, tired, or fatigued CMV drivers. The regulations proposed in this document would: First, revert to a 24-hour daily cycle, and a 7-day weekly cycle. Second, adjust the work-rest requirements for various types of operations. Third, emphasize rest. Require for long-haul and regional drivers a period of 10 consecutive hours off duty within each 24-hour cycle, and two hours of additional time off in each 14-hour work period within each 24-hour cycle. Fourth, require weekends, or their functional equivalent, to include at a minimum a rest period that includes two consecutive periods from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Fifth, require the use of electronic on-board recorders (EOBRs) in CMVs used by drivers in long-haul and regional operations.