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FMCSA Changes the Hours of Service Regulations

Amber — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:46:49 +0000

SUMMARY OF FMCSA’S CHANGES TO THE HOURS OF SERVICE REGULATIONS

12/22/2011

On December 22, 2011, FMCSA publicly announced new Hours of Service rule changes. The key elements of this rule are described below. This rule will be published in the Federal Register on or around December 30, 2011.

Key Elements of the December 2011 HOS Rule:

Maximum Driving Hours – FMCSA retained the current 11 hour driving time limit, but placed a limit on the number of consecutive driving hours. No driving may occur if more than 8 consecutive hours have passed since the last break of 30 minutes or more.

Restart – Any restart period must include two consecutive nighttime periods (from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.), and must be at least 34 consecutive hours long. Drivers are permitted to use the restart provision only once in any seven calendar days.

14 Consecutive Hour Day (now called Driving Window) – The rule retains a 14 consecutive hour driving window. With a 30 minute rest break, the maximum on-duty time within the 14 hour window is 13.5 hours.

No driving may occur after 14 consecutive hours since coming on duty; non-driving work is allowed past the 14 hour driving window as in the past rule.

Mandatory Rest Break – Drivers will not be permitted to drive if 8 hours have passed since their last break of 30 minutes or more. (Only 1 break may be required depending upon timing).

Off-Duty in A Parked CMV or In Passenger Seat – The rule allow drivers to record time spent in a parked CMV as off-duty time. Also, team drivers would be permitted to record up to 2 hours of time spent in the passenger seat of a CMV in operation as off-duty time, if it is just before or after an 8 hour sleeper berth period.

Oilfield Exemption – Waiting time at an oil well or natural gas site will not count toward calculation of the 14 hour window but must be recorded as off-duty on a paper or electronic log.

Egregious Violations – A driver who exceeds, and/or a motor carrier that allows a to exceed, the driving time limit by 3 hours or more be considered to have committed an egregious violation and be subject to the maximum civil penalties of $2,700 for dirvers and $11,000 for motor carriers for each offense.

Effective Date & Compliance Date – This rule will be effective in late February 2012, and the oilfield exemption change must be implemented by then. However, interstate motor carriers and drivers will not be required to comply with the remainder of the new rules (restart change, rest break requirement, etc.) until July 1, 2013.

Click here to learn more

FMCSA Reminds Carriers to Update Fleet Data

Amber — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:37:41 +0000

Motor carrier data used to calculate SMS scores, such as Vehicle Miles Traveled and Power Unit data needs to be updated.
If your VMT data is 2009 or older, it will not be used in your calculations when the January Safety Measurement System (SMS) snapshot is posted at the beginning of February. The Motor Carrier Registration form, known as the MCS-150, is used to calculate your Unsafe Driving and Crash Indicator Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) percentiles.
FMCSA urges carriers to update MCS-150 forms with 2010 VMT/PU information now or shortly after January 1, 2012 with 2011 data to ensure FMCSA is using the most accurate data available to calculate percentiles.
To update your MCS-150 information, visit Under the “Existing Registration Updates” section, choose the first option – “I need to update my USDOT number registration information or file my biennial update.”
PLEASE NOTE: The SMS website is updated monthly, so your MCS-150 changes will not be reflected on that site until the next monthly update. You can find the schedule of SMS updates at http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/SMS/InfoCenter/#question5 MCS-150 updates show up faster on SAFER and the FMCSA Portal websites.

Source: American Trucking Association

Sleep Apnea Problems with Drivers

Amber — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:47:20 +0000

“A driver with sleep apnea could sleep for 10 or 12 hours and still awake feeling fatigued. This is because sleep apnea can prevent you from reaching the restful stages of sleep that you need to feel rested and refreshed. BMI is a marker for possible sleep apnea that DOT physicians will be looking for as they are required to actively screen for sleep apnea at the DOT Physical. Fatigue is directly related to sleep apnea and sleep apnea can cause impaired cognitive function and reduce reaction time, and therefore, increase the risk of accidents.

The FMCSA Medical Review Board (MRO) met June 30^th to finalize the sleep apnea guidelines for the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners, and the Motor Carriers Safety Advisory Committee and the MBR will be meeting together on December 7^th to “develop practical framework for Agency (FMCSA) to move forward on sleep apnea issues,” and the DOT is expected to have something in place by the end of the year or in early 2012.

This may not directly affect the carriers, but it will affect their drivers at the time of the medical physical, and if unprepared, could possibly take the driver out-of-service until the issue is addressed. This is why it is imperative that drivers become pro-active and address possible sleep apnea symptoms before going for their DOT physical.”

Source: American Trucking Association

FMCSA bans hand held cell phones amongst truck drivers

betsy — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:20:26 +0000

11/23/2011

The Department of Transportation announced a final rule that will ban interstate truck and bus drivers from using hand-held cellphones while operating their vehicles.

The rule prohibits commercial drivers from using hand-held phones while driving a truck or bus, sets federal civil penalties of up to $2,750 for each offense and disqualifies drivers from operating a commercial motor vehicle after multiple offenses.

Commercial truck and bus companies that allow drivers to use hand-held cell phones while driving will face a penalty of up to $11,000. The rule will affect about four million commercial drivers, DOT said.

The rule was officially issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, both of which fall under the DOT umbrella.

Click here for the full report from the FMCSA